Surface and subsurface sedimentary structures produced by salt crusts

The growth and subsequent dissolution of salts on or within sediment may alter sedimentary structures and textures to such an extent that it is difficult to identify the depositional origin of that sediment and, as a result, the sediment may be misinterpreted. To help to overcome such problems with investigating ancient successions, results are presented from a comprehensive study of the morphology and fabrics of three large areas of modern salt flats in SE Arabia: the Sabkhat Matti inland region and the At Taf coastal region, both in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the Umm as Samim region in Oman. These salt flats are affected by tidal‐marine, alluvial and aeolian depositional processes and include both clastic‐ and carbonate‐dominated surficial sediments. The efflorescent and precipitated salt crusts in these areas can be grouped into two main types: thick crusts, with high relief (>10 cm) and a polygonal or blocky morphology; or thin crusts, with low relief (<10 cm) and a polygonal or blister‐like appearance. The thin crusts may assume the surface morphology of underlying features, such as ripples or biogenic mats. A variety of small‐scale textures were observed: pustular growths, hair‐like spikes and irregular wrinkles. Evolution of these crusts over time results in a variety of distinctive sedimentary fabrics produced by salt‐growth sediment deformation, salt‐solution sediment collapse, sediment aggradation and compound mixtures of these processes. Salt‐crust processes produce features that may be confused with aeolian adhesion structures. An example from the Lower Triassic Ormskirk Sandstone Formation of the Irish Sea Basin demonstrates how this knowledge of modern environments improves the interpretation of the rock record. A distinctive wavy‐laminated facies in this formation had previously been interpreted as the product of fluvial sheetfloods modified by soft‐sediment deformation and bioturbation. Close inspection of laminations seen in core reveals many of the same sedimentary fabrics seen in SE Arabia associated with salt crusts. This facies is the product of salt growth on aeolian sediment and is not of fluvial origin.