1 - Introduction

Abstract

This chapter is divided into two parts. It begins by introducing the field of sedimentology and placing it within its geological context and within the broader fields of physics, chemistry, and biology. It defines sedimentology as the study of sediments. Sedimentology has evolved from a union between structural geology and oceanography. The chapter emphasizes on sedimentology and its relationship to ancient lithified sedimentary rocks. A large part of sedimentology is concerned with modern sediments and depositional processes. The second part of the chapter introduces the applications of sedimentology in the service of mankind, showing in particular how it may be applied in the quest for fossil fuels and strata-bound minerals. Most of the intellectual and financial stimulus to sedimentology has come from the oil industry and, to a lesser extent, the mining industry. Engineering geology is another field in which sedimentology may be applied. Most applications of sedimentology to ancient sedimentary rocks are concerned with the extraction of raw materials. They fall into two main groups: the extraction of certain strata of sediment, and the extraction of fluids from pores, leaving the strata intact.