Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Sedimentology

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Definitions

The scientific study of sediment and sedimentary rocks.

The study of material found at the earth’s surface and composed of unlithified rock fragments, chemical precipitates, or biogenic matter.

Sedimentology in geoarchaeology

Introduction

Sediments serve as the primary matrix for most archaeological materials (Goldberg and Macphail, 2006), and they are therefore the main focus of much geoarchaeological research. Although the broader earth science definition of sedimentology includes the study and classification of sediments and sedimentary rocks, in many cases geoarchaeology deals almost exclusively with sediment alone due to the unconsolidated sedimentary nature of many late Quaternary geologic settings, the generally loosely deposited materials that make up archaeological sites themselves, and the nature of the questions geoarchaeologists commonly ask. The majority of the sedimentary concepts are the same in both geology and geoarchaeology, but those interested in...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 549.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 599.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Bibliography

  • Adelsberger, K. A., and Smith, J. R., 2010. Paleolandscape and paleoenvironmental interpretation of spring-deposited sediments in Dakhleh Oasis, Western Desert of Egypt. Catena, 83(1), 7–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Álvarez, M., Godino, I. B., Balbo, A., and Madella, M., 2011. Shell middens as archives of past environments, human dispersal and specialized resource management. Quaternary International, 239(1–2), 1–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andrews, J. E., 2006. Palaeoclimatic records from stable isotopes in riverine tufas: synthesis and review. Earth-Science Reviews, 75(1–4), 85–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aschenbrenner, B. C., 1956. A new method of expressing particle sphericity. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 26(1), 15–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barber, K. E., Chambers, F. M., and Maddy, D., 2003. Holocene palaeoclimates from peat stratigraphy: macrofossil proxy climate records from three oceanic raised bogs in England and Ireland. Quaternary Science Reviews, 22(5–7), 521–539.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barrett, P. J., 1980. The shape of rock particles, a critical review. Sedimentology, 27(3), 291–303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blaauw, M., and Mauquoy, D., 2012. Signal and variability within a Holocene peat bog – chronological uncertainties of pollen, macrofossil and fungal proxies. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 186, 5–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blott, S. J., and Pye, K., 2012. Particle size scales and classification of sediment types based on particle size distributions: review and recommended procedures. Sedimentology, 59(7), 2071–2096.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bluck, B. J., 2011. Structure of gravel beaches and their relationship to tidal range. Sedimentology, 58(4), 994–1006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boggs, S., 2001. Principles of Sedimentology and Stratigraphy, 3rd edn. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boggs, S., 2006. Principles of Sedimentology and Stratigraphy, 4th edn. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Byrne, J. V., 1963. Variations in fluvial gravel imbrication. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 33(2), 467–469.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, J., Zhang, D. D., Wang, S., Xiao, T., and Huang, R., 2004. Factors controlling tufa deposition in natural waters at waterfall sites. Sedimentary Geology, 166(3–4), 353–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crofts, R. S., 1974. A visual measure of shingle particle form for use in the field. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 44(3), 931–934.

    Google Scholar 

  • Culver, S. J., Bull, P. A., Campbell, S., Shakesby, R. A., and Whalley, B. W., 1983. Environmental discrimination based on quartz grain surface textures: a statistical investigation. Sedimentology, 30(1), 129–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dachnowski, A. P., 1922. The correlation of time units and climatic changes in peat deposits of the United States and Europe. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 8(7), 225–231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Wet, C. B., and Davis, K., 2010. Preservation potential of microorganism morphologies in tufas, sinters, and travertines through geologic time. Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, 90(2), 139–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deotare, B. C., Kajale, M. D., Rajaguru, S. N., Kusumgar, S., Jull, A. J. T., and Donahue, J. D., 2004. Palaeoenvironmental history of Bap-Malar and Kanod Playas of Western Rajasthan, Thar Desert. Journal of Earth System Science, 113(3), 403–425.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dobkins, J. E., and Folk, R. L., 1970. Shape development on Tahiti-Nui. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 40(4), 1167–1203.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drummond, C. N., Patterson, W. P., and Walker, J. C. G., 1995. Climatic forcing of carbon-oxygen isotopic covariance in temperate-region marl lakes. Geology, 23(11), 1031–1034.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drysdale, R. N., Taylor, M. P., and Ihlenfeld, C., 2002. Factors controlling the chemical evolution of travertine-depositing rivers of the Barkly karst, northern Australia. Hydrological Processes, 16(15), 2941–2962.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fairchild, I. J., Smith, C. L., Baker, A., Fuller, L., Spӧtl, C., Mattey, D., McDermott, F., and Edinburgh Ion Microprobe Facility, 2006. Modification and preservation of environmental signals in speleothems. Earth Science Reviews, 75(1–4), 105–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernlund, J. M. R., 1998. The effect of particle form on sieve analysis: a test by image analysis. Engineering Geology, 50(1–2), 111–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Folk, R. L., 1966. A review of grain-size parameters. Sedimentology, 6(2), 73–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Folk, R. L., 1974. Petrology of Sedimentary Rocks, 2nd edn. Austin: Hemphill Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Folk, R. L., and Ward, W. C., 1957. Brazos River bar: a study in the significance of grain size parameters. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 27(1), 3–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ford, T. D., and Pedley, H. M., 1996. A review of tufa and travertine deposits of the world. Earth Science Reviews, 41(3–4), 117–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg, P., and Macphail, R. I., 2006. Practical and Theoretical Geoarchaeology. Malden: Blackwell Science.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gutiérrez-Zugasti, I., Andersen, S. H., Araújo, A. C., Dupont, C., Milner, N., and Monge-Soares, A. M., 2011. Shell midden research in Atlantic Europe: state of the art, research problems and perspectives for the future. Quaternary International, 239(1–2), 70–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrell, J., 1984. A visual comparator for degree of sorting in thin and plane sections. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 54(2), 646–650.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helland, P. E., Huang, P.-H., and Diffendal, R. F., Jr., 1997. SEM analysis of quartz sand grain surface textures indicates alluvial/colluvial origin of the Quaternary “glacial” boulder clays at Huangshan (Yellow Mountain), East-Central China. Quaternary Research, 48(2), 177–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herbert, R. B., Jr., 1995. Precipitation of Fe oxyhydroxides and jarosite from acidic groundwater. GFF, 117(2), 81–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, C. A., and Forti, P., 1997. Cave Minerals of the World, 2nd edn. Huntsville: National Speleological Society. 463 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kieniewicz, J. M., and Smith, J. R., 2007. Hydrologic and climatic implications of stable isotope and minor element analyses of authigenic calcite silts and gastropod shells from a mid-Pleistocene pluvial lake, Western Desert, Egypt. Quaternary Research, 68(3), 431–444.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krinsley, D. H., and Doornkamp, J. C., 1973. Atlas of Quartz Sand Surface Textures. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krinsley, D., and Takahashi, T., 1962. Application of electron microscopy to geology. Transactions of the New York Academy of Sciences, 25(1), 3–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krumbein, W. C., 1934. Size frequency distributions of sediments. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 4(2), 65–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krumbein, W. C., 1941. Measurement and geological significance of shape and roundness of sedimentary particles. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 11(2), 64–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsen, N. K., and Piotrowski, J. A., 2003. Fabric pattern in a basal till succession and its significance for reconstructing subglacial processes. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 73(5), 725–734.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lauritzen, S.-E., 2005. Reconstructing Holocene climate records from speleothems. In Mackay, A., Battarbee, R., Birks, J., and Oldfield, F. (eds.), Global Change in the Holocene. London: Arnold, pp. 242–263.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindsey, D. A., Langer, W. H., and Van Gosen, B. S., 2007. Using pebble lithology and roundness to interpret gravel provenance in piedmont fluvial systems of the Rocky Mountains, USA. Sedimentary Geology, 199(3–4), 223–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lojen, S., Trkov, A., Ščančar, J., Vázquez-Navarro, J. A., and Cukrov, N., 2009. Continuous 60-year stable isotopic and earth-alkali element records in a modern laminated tufa (Jaruga, River Krka, Croatia): implications for climate reconstruction. Chemical Geology, 258(3–4), 242–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Long, D. T., Fegan, N. E., McKee, J. D., Lyons, W. B., Hines, M. E., and Macumber, P. G., 1992. Formation of alunite, jarosite and hydrous iron oxides in a hypersaline system: Lake Tyrrell, Victoria, Australia. Chemical Geology, 96(1–2), 183–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, J. R., Bull, P. A., and Morgan, R. M., 2012. Energy regimes for aeolian sand grain surface textures. Sedimentary Geology, 253–254, 17–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Middleton, G. V. (ed.), 2003. Encyclopedia of Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parkash, B., and Middleton, G. V., 1970. Downcurrent textural changes in Ordovician turbidite graywackes. Sedimentology, 14(3–4), 259–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pentecost, A., 1993. British travertines: a review. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association, 104(1), 23–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pentecost, A., 2005. Travertine. Berlin: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pettijohn, F. J., 1949. Sedimentary Rocks. New York: Harper.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pizzuto, J. E., Webb, R. H., Griffiths, P. G., Elliott, J. G., and Melis, T. S., 1999. Entrainment and transport of cobbles and boulders from debris fans. In Webb, R. H., Schmidt, J. C., Marzolf, G. R., and Valdez, R. A. (eds.), The Controlled Flood in Grand Canyon. Washington, DC: American Geophysical Union. Geophysical Monograph, Vol. 110, pp. 53–70.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Pola, M., Gandin, A., Tuccimei, P., Soligo, M., Deiana, R., Fabbri, P., and Zampieri, D., 2014. A multidisciplinary approach to understanding carbonate deposition under tectonically controlled hydrothermal circulation: a case study from a recent travertine mound in the Euganean hydrothermal system, northern Italy. Sedimentology, 61(1), 172–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Powers, M. C., 1953. A new roundness scale for sedimentary particles. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 23(2), 117–119.

    Google Scholar 

  • Renaut, R. W., and Tiercelin, J.-J., 1994. Lake Bogoria, Kenya Rift Valley – a sedimentological overview. In Renaut, R. W., and Last, W. M. (eds.), Sedimentology and Geochemistry of Modern and Ancient Saline Lakes. Tulsa: Society for Sedimentary Geology. SEPM Special Publication, Vol. 50, pp. 101–124.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Renaut, R. W., Owen, R. B., Jones, B., Tiercelin, J.-J., Tarits, C., Ego, J. K., and Konhauser, K. O., 2013. Impact of lake-level changes on the formation of thermogene travertine in continental rifts: evidence from Lake Bogoria, Kenya Rift Valley. Sedimentology, 60(2), 428–468.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Renfrew, C., and Bahn, P., 2008. Archaeology: Theory, Methods and Practice, 5th edn. London: Thames and Hudson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rusnak, G. A., 1957. The orientation of sand grains under conditions of “unidirectional” fluid flow: 1. Theory and experiment. Journal of Geology, 65(4), 384–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Russell, R. D., and Taylor, R. E., 1937. Roundness and shape of Mississippi River sands. Journal of Geology, 45(3), 225–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwertmann, U., Carlson, L., and Murad, E., 1987. Properties of iron oxides in two Finnish lakes in relation to the environment of their formation. Clays and Clay Minerals, 35(4), 297–304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. R., Giegengack, R., Schwarcz, H. P., McDonald, M. M. A., Kleindienst, M. R., Hawkins, A. L., and Churcher, C. S., 2004. A reconstruction of Quaternary pluvial environments and human occupations using stratigraphy and geochronology of fossil-spring tufas, Kharga Oasis, Egypt. Geoarchaeology, 19(5), 407–439.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. R., Hawkins, A. L., Asmerom, Y., Polyak, V., and Giegengack, R., 2007. New age constraints on the Middle Stone Age occupations of Kharga Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt. Journal of Human Evolution, 52(6), 690–701.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sneed, E. D., and Folk, R. L., 1958. Pebbles in the Lower Colorado River, Texas: a study in particle morphogenesis. Journal of Geology, 66(2), 114–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soil Conservation Service, 1975. Soil Taxonomy: A Basic System of Soil Classification for Making and Interpreting Soil Surveys. Washington, DC: Soil conservation Service, US Department of Agriculture. USDA/SCS Agricultural Handbook, Vol. 436.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stein, J. K., and Farrand, W. R. (eds.), 2001. Sediments in Archaeological Context. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sweeting, M. M., 1972. Karst Landforms. London: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Timireva, S. N., and Velichko, A. A., 2006. Depositional environments of the Pleistocene loess-soil series inferred from sand grain morphoscopy – a case study of the East European Plain. Quaternary International, 152–153, 136–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tooth, A. F., and Fairchild, I. J., 2003. Soil and karst aquifer hydrological controls on the geochemical evolution of speleothem-forming drip waters, Crag Cave, southwest Ireland. Journal of Hydrology, 273(1–4), 51–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Udden, J. A., 1898. The Mechanical Composition of Wind Deposits. Rock Island: Lutheran Augustana Book Concern. Augustana Library Publication, Vol. 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • US Division of Soil Survey, 1993. Soil Survey Manual. Washington, DC: US Department of Agriculture. US Department of Agriculture Handbook, Vol. 18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van den Berg, M., Huisman, H., Kars, H., van Haaster, H., and Kool, J., 2010. Assessing in situ preservation of archaeological wetland sites by chemical analysis of botanical remains and micromorphology. In Bloemers, T., Kars, H., van der Valk, A., and Wijnen, M. (eds.), The Cultural Landscape and Heritage Paradox: Protection and Development of the Dutch Archaeological-Historical Landscape and its European Dimension. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, pp. 161–176.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wadell, H., 1932. Volume, shape and roundness of rock particles. Journal of Geology, 40(5), 443–451.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wentworth, C. K., 1919. A laboratory and field study of cobble abrasion. Journal of Geology, 27(7), 507–521.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wentworth, C. K., 1922. A scale of grade and class terms for clastic sediments. Journal of Geology, 30(5), 377–392.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, M. J., 2004. Weathering of the primary rock-forming minerals: processes, products and rates. Clay Minerals, 39(3), 233–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolfe, M. J., 1967. An electron microscope study of the surface texture of sand grains from a basal conglomerate. Sedimentology, 8(3), 239–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu, X., Zhou, W., Liu, X., Xian, F., Liu, Z., Zheng, Y., and An, Z., 2010. Peat records of human impacts on the atmosphere in northwest China during the late Neolithic and Bronze Ages. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 286(1–2), 17–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, D. D., Zhang, Y., Zhu, A., and Cheng, X., 2001. Physical mechanisms of river waterfall tufa (travertine) formation. Journal of Sedimentary Research, Section A: Sedimentary Petrology and Processes, 71(1), 205–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, G., Lang, Y., Miyahara, M., Nozaki, T., and Haruaki, T., 2007. Iron oxide precipitate in seepage of groundwater from a landslide slip zone. Environmental Geology, 51(8), 1455–1464.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zingg, T., 1935. Beitrag zur Schotteranalyse: Die Schotteranalyse und ihre Anwendung auf die Glattalschotter. Schweizerische Mineralogische und Petrografische Mitteilungen, 15, 39–140.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Studies, Douglas and Maria Bayer Chair in Earth Science, Knox College, 2 East South St., Galesburg, IL, 61401, USA

    Katherine A. Adelsberger

Authors
  1. Katherine A. Adelsberger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katherine A. Adelsberger .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA

    Allan S. Gilbert

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this entry

Cite this entry

Adelsberger, K.A. (2017). Sedimentology. In: Gilbert, A.S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4409-0_160

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation