- Siltstone
Siltstone is a
sedimentary rock which has a composition intermediate in grain size between the coarsersandstone s and the finermudstone s andshale s.Description
As its name implies, it is primarily composed (greater than 2/3) of
silt sized particles, defined as grains between 3.9 and 62.5micrometre s or 4 to 8 on the Krumbein phi (φ) scale. Siltstones differ significantly from sandstones due to their smaller pores and higher propensity for containing a significantclay fraction. Although often mistaken as ashale , siltstone lacks the fissility and laminations which are typical of shale. Siltstones may containconcretion s. Unless the siltstone is fairly shaly, stratification is likely to be obscure and it tends to weather at oblique angles unrelated to bedding.References
*Folk, R.L., 1965, [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/geo/folkready/folkprefrev.html "Petrology of sedimentary rocks" PDF version] . Austin: Hemphill’s Bookstore. 2nd ed. 1981, ISBN 0-914696-14-9
*Williams, Howel, Francis J. Turner and Charles M. Gilbert, 1954, "Petrography", W. H. Freeman
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