Sedimentary geology. An introduction to sedimentary rocks and stratigraphy / Осадочная геология. Введение в геологию осадочных породы и стратиграфию

We substantially revised the first and second editions of this book while retaining our original objectives: to help you better understand (1) the processes that erode, transport, and deposit sediments (sedimentology); (2) the characteristics and origins of sedimentary rocks (sedimentary petrology); and (3) the complex distribution of the sedimentary rock record in space and time (stratigraphy). The first two areas are the subjects of Chapters 1 through 14. The field of stratigraphy is covered in Chapters 15 through 19.Analysis of sedimentary rocks involves description and interpretation. Description is straightforward: "What can we see when we examine a sedimentary rock? What characteristics does it exhibit?" Interpretation is more subjective because it requires us to make inferences about the features described. The following case studies illustrate these contrasting approaches. <...>