Origin and significance of soft-sediment deformation in the Old Red Sandstone of central South Wales, UK

Abstract

Vertically oriented water-escape cusps are the most common type of soft-sediment deformation structure in sandstone-rich intervals of the fluvial Brownstones and Senni Formations (Cosheston Subgroup, Daugleddau Group) of the Lower Old Red Sandstone in the central Brecon Beacons and eastern Black Mountains, South Wales. The structures are widely distributed and occur at several stratigraphical levels. They can be divided into two styles. (1) Small-scale (height less than a single bed), isolated water-escape cusps formed when loosely packed sediment deposited rapidly in flood events liquefied in advance of subsequent flood events or pulses, causing localised fluidization due to the escape of excess pore water. Inclined cusps higher in some beds confirm the relationship of this deformation style to active flood events. (2) Horizons of larger-scale (occupying the entire bed thickness), laterally continuous water-escape cusps and fold trains can be traced for hundreds of metres to kilometres and result from widespread liquefaction in response to earthquakes. A lack of overturning indicates that their formation did not coincide with active flow conditions. Further detailed mapping is needed to clarify the continuity and extent of such structures and their relationship to faults that may have been active during sedimentation. The occurrence of triggers capable of causing liquefaction in granular materials provides a greater control on the occurrence of soft-sediment deformation than do lithological controls such as grain size or interbedding of sandstone and mudstone. The findings are broadly consistent with interpretations of soft-sediment deformation in the Cosheston Subgroup in Pembrokeshire, SW Wales.