SOME APPLICATIONS OF THEORY AND EXPERIMENT TO THE STUDY OF BEDDING GENESIS

The origin of many sedimentation units deposited in granular cohesionless materials can be rationally explained by utilizing the concept of the profile of equilibrium. This basic concept can be formally expressed in terms of the variables, or groups of variables, that characterize a sediment transport system. A change in one or more variables or a shift in local base level will generally cause a shift in the spatial position of the profile, resulting in either aggradation or degradation. As shown by flume experiments, the rate of shift of the profile is a critical factor in bedding genesis. A relatively large and rapid upward shift of the profile results in the deposition of a tabular or wedge-shaped unit of cross-bedding, i.e., a laboratory delta. On the other hand, a gradual upward shift of the profile results in the deposition of a sequence of horizontal bedding that is commonly associated with intercalations of ripple or dune cross-bedding. For the intermediate case of a moderately rapid shift of the profile, the depositional sequence includes trough units and poorly-defined tabular units of cross-bedding with numerous intercalations of horizontal bedding. The concept of the profile of equilibrium therefore provides a rationale for considering the depositional framework for sedimentary structures produced by current flow.