Processes of transport and sedimentary structures - Flows, Sediment and Bedforms - Plane bedding and planar lamination

4 important questions on Processes of transport and sedimentary structures - Flows, Sediment and Bedforms - Plane bedding and planar lamination

What is plane bedding in sediments and which sedi strucutre do they form in sedi rocks?

Horizontal layering in sands deposited from a flow

Sedi struc: planar lamination

Name two conditions under which plane bedding is formed and explain why ripple and dunes cannot form under these conditions.

Plane bedding is also observed at higher flow velocities in very fine- to coarse-grained sands: ripple and dune bedforms become washed out with an increase in flow speed as the formation of flow separation is suppressed at higher velocities.

Plane beds form in coarser sands at relatively low flow velocities.

Name two conditions under which plane bedding forms well/poorly defined planar lamination

Plane bedding is also observed at higher flow velocities in very fine- to coarse-grained sands. Produce well- defined planar lamination with laminae that are typically 5–20 grains thick

Plane beds form in coarser sands at relatively low flow velocities. Poorly defined horizontal planar lamination.
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Explain what primary current lineation (pcl) is and how this relates to the conditions under which planar lineation forms.


The bed surface is also marked by elongate
ridges a few grain diameters high separated by furrows oriented parallel to the flow direction.


it is formed by sweeps within the viscous sublayer  that push grains aside to form ridges a few grains high which lie parallel to the flow direction. The formation of sweeps is subdued when the bed surface is rough and primary current lineation is therefore less well defined in coarser sands.

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