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A Comparison of Clast Composition and Size Between Sediments of the Aquia and Potomac Formations
Reyher, Todd
Reyher, Todd
Abstract
Throughout the Richmond, Virginia area the Aquia Formation commonly overlies the Potomac Formation. The two formations have been compared macroscopically and appear very different, but a detailed study on their compositions shows the two formations have some similarities. Although the formations are not exactly similar in terms of total clasts composition and maximum dimension, they do in fact have some similarities in regards to maximum dimension when clasts are broken down by their individual composition and compared. These similarities suggest that during the Aquia’s marine transgression deposition, the Aquia sediments acquired some of its clasts from the Potomac sediments. The samples were also compared with one another within the same formation in order to examine the uniformity of each formation. The results show that in terms of all clasts the Aquia Formation is not the same throughout the sampled area with regards to clast diameter. When the clasts are broken down by the two main compositions, vein quartz and quartzite there are some similarities and differences. This may be due to selective sorting during the deposition of the Aquia sediments. The Potomac Formation was also not uniform in terms of total clasts composition, but when broken down by the two main compositions, vein quartz and quartzite, the formation is in fact uniform.
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2009-01-01
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Geology