Sedimentary Structures and Discriminant Analysis of Textural Characteristics of Recent and Ancient Point Bars: ABSTRACT

Abstract

Point-bar deposits of the Raton-Vermejo (Cretaceous) Sandstone are analogous to recent point-bar deposits of the Brazos River of Texas. Sedimentary structures in the two bars are similar; both contain abundant trough (festoon) crossbedding and climbing ripples. Avalanche foreset bedding is prominent at the maximum curvature of the meander in the Brazos River; reverse climbing ripples formed at the toe of the foresets. The upper and lower surfaces of the bars, measured perpendicular to flow direction at the maximum curvature of the meander, converge shoreward in both the Brazos and the Raton-Vermejo bars. Grain-size analyses of the Brazos River and Raton-Vermejo point bars are similar. In comparison with known suites of eolian, fluvial, and beach sands, all of 33 samples of Brazos River sands are classified as fluvial sands by multiple-group discriminant analysis. Ten of the initial 50 variables calculated for each sample were removed to decrease provenance effects. Classifications were performed from the remaining 40 by using the 16 most discriminating variables. Individual sedimentary structures in both the recent and ancient bars have similar grain-size distributions. Discriminant analysis indicates that grain-size variables alone are sufficient to separate the samples into 5 different sedimentary-structure groups (trough crossbedding, avalanche foresets, climbing ripples, reverse-climbing ripples, and horizontal laminations). End_of_Article - Last_Page 808------------