palaeocurrent analysis

views updated May 08 2018

palaeocurrent analysis The collection, presentation, and interpretation of directional data measured from sedimentary structures and textures which were formed under flowing water, the wind, or moving ice. Ranging from the study of a single structure to data collected across a whole sedimentary basin, palaeocurrents can yield a hierarchy of information, from the local direction of flow which yielded a single ripple train, through the direction of migration of a bar or channel, to the movement of sediment through a river or deltaic network (see DELTA), and the regional pattern of sediment provenance and dispersal through a basin.

palaeocurrent analysis

views updated May 23 2018

palaeocurrent analysis The collection, presentation, and interpretation of directional data measured from sedimentary structures and textures which were formed under flowing water, the wind, or moving ice. Ranging from the study of a single structure to data collected across a whole sedimentary basin, palaeocurrents can yield a hierarchy of information, from the local direction of flow which yielded a single ripple train, through the direction of migration of a bar or channel, to the movement of sediment through a river or deltaic network (see delta), and the regional pattern of sediment provenance and dispersal through a basin.