SOILS CLASSIFICATION–Sedimentary

SEDIMENTARY– Soils Made Up of Other Pieces of Rock or Shells of Other Dead Organisms/  Creatures.  These Soils Forms Where Rocks Are Weathered by Wind, Rain, Ice, and Created by Layering In Lakes, Rivers, Sea.

  • General Types of Sedimentary Rock- Limestone, Sandstone, Silex/Flint

PARTICLE GRAIN SIZE– (Largest to Smallest) Boulder, Cobble, Pebble, Gravel, Sand, Silt, Clay, Loess.  If You Have a Dominate Grain Size That Gets Solidified Into a Rock is Referred to as a Soil.

  • Mud- Which Accumulate as Mudstone
  • Sand- Which Accumulate as Sandstone
  • Silt- Which Accumulate as Siltstone
  • Clay- Which Accumulate as Claystone
  • Lime- Which Accumulate as Limestone, Organic Skeleton Material

“It’s Important to Note That These Are Grain Sizes of the Material That Make Up the Soils and Not the Soils Themselves.”

FLUVIAL- Pertaining to Rivers, Sediment or Soil Deposits Produced by the Action of a Stream or River.

ALLUVIAL/ Alluvium- Pertaining to Sediment or Soil Deposits From Running Water, A Deposit of Clay, Silt, Sand or Gravel Left by Flowing Stream In a River Valley Or Delta.

  • Alluvial Terraces- Formed by a Combination of Geologic Uplift and River Down-Cutting.

COLLUVIUM- Material That Accumulates at the Foot/ Base of a Steep Slope.

MORAINE- Pertaining to Sediment or Soil Deposits Formed From Accumulation of Unconsolidated Glacial Debris.

LACUSTRINE- Soils Relating to or Associated With Lakes.

FERRICIETE- Hard Erosion Resistant Layer of Sedimentary Rock That Has Been Cemented.

D.theV.com Sedimentary Soil Classification…is it Shell/ Creature, Wind or Water Based.

  • “Sedimentary(Shell)”, “Sedimentary(Water)”, “Sedimentary(Wind)”

**Refer to “TERROIR/ Water, Floods” For Additional Information On Sedimentary Rocks.

LIMESTONE

Limestone is a Sedimentary Rock Composed Primarily of Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) In the Form of the Mineral Calcite.  Limestone Mostly Forms In Warm, Shallow Marine Waters.  Limestone is Primarily Composed of Organic Matter Accumulated Over Time.

  • There Are Different Classes of Limestone That Behave Differently, Different Sea Creatures That Died and Have Accumulated Over Time Leave Different Hardness Layers That Soil Reacts to Differently.
  • Limestone is Generally Composed of Shells, Coral, Algae, Fossils, Fecal Debris.  Over Time These Animals/ Organic Matters Die and Their Shells and Skeletal Accumulate Into a Sediment That Gets Lithified Into Limestone.
  • Types of Limestone.  Different Periods or Ages of Time Have Different Organic Matter That Get Fossilized or In Turn Different Periods Have Different Types of Limestone.
    • Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine
    • Chalk- A Deeper Water Equivalent of Limestone. The Calcium Carbonate Skeletons of Planton That Lived In the Water.  As They Died They Rained Down and Formed a Layer of Very Soft, Porous Limetstone Rock.
  • LIMESTONE REGIONS OF THE “OLD WORLD”
    • Chablis        Cote d’Or
    • Macconais        St. Emilion
  • LIMESTONE REGIONS OF THE “NEW WORLD”
    • Santa Rita Hills, California   |   Paso Robles, California
    • Chalone, California
    • Ontario, Canada   |   Verde Valley, Arizona

PORTLANDIAN ERA FORMATION

  • Formed During the Cretaceous Period.
  • Burgundy is an Old Sea Floor That Sank Beneath Shallow Seas. Shells-Skeletons of Oysters Crinoids, Ammonites, and Coils Piled On One Another and Compacted Together to Form Petrified Remains Which is Limestone.
    • Younger Than Kimmeridgian Period
    • Hard, Resistant to Weathering
    • Lower In Clay
    • ~Etymology~ Portland Refers to the Named of a Island In the English Channel Where the Limestone Formation Begins.

KIMMERIDGIAN ERA FORMATION

  • Formed During Mesozoic Period,150 Million Years Old
    • Older Than Portandian…150- 157 Million Years Old
    • Higher In Clay and Limestone(Exogyra Virgula/ Small Oyster Fossils)
    • Softer Limestone, More Breakable
    • ~Etymology~ Kimmeridge Refers to the Named of a Village In Dorest, England Where the Limestone Formation Begins.
  •  Kimmeridgian Crescent- “Contiguous-Limestone Basin”
    • Crescent That Runs From Southern England, “The White Cliffs of Dover” Through France.(Burgundy to Sancerre)
    • Calcareous Clay, Marine Fossilized Shells, Chalky, Light Clay Marl

TYPES Of SEDIMENTARY SOILS

ARENACEOUS– Containing or Made of Sand or Sandlike Particles.

  • Clay– “Sedimentary(Arenaceous)”     @St. Emillon AOC., France
    • Qualities…+Porosity,-Permeability, Fine Grain Heavy Texture
  • Gore– “Sedimentary(Arenaceous)”     @St. Joseph AOC., France
    • Qualities…
  • Loam–  “Sedimentary(Arenaceous)”      @Rutherford AVA., Califronia
    • Qualities… Generic Term For Sand, Silt & Clay
    • 3 Sub-Classifications…Gravely Loam, Sandy Loam and Silty Loam
  • Sand–  “Sedimentary(Arenaceous)”      @Kitterle
    • Qualities…Grains of Sand, +Permeability, Retains Heat
  • Silt–  “Sedimentary(Arenaceous)”     @Columbia Valley, Washington
    • Qualities…Fine Sand, Clay, or Material Carried by Running Water and Deposited.
    • Sand is Heavier Than Silt and Clay…Silt is Heavier Than Clay

ARGILLACEOUS– Containing or Made of Clay or Clay Mineral.

  • Greywacke– “Sedimentary(Argillaceous)”      @Marlborough, New Zealand
    • Formation…Formed In Submarine Shelves and Trenches
    • Qualities…Hard, Sandstone
  • Marl– “Sedimentary(Argillaceous)”       @
    • Formation…Non Consolidated Rock/ Soil of Limestone, Clay, Calcium, Magnesium
    • Qualities…
  • Molasse– “Sedimentary”     @St.-Emillon AOC., France
    • Qualities…Sub-Soil Consisting of Soft Rock Mixed With Clay
  • Shale– “Sedimentary(Argillaceous)”      @Finger Lakes, Montalcino
    • Formation…
    • Qualities… Layers of Clay-Like, Fine-Grained +Heat, AKA=Galestro, Mudstone

CALCAREOUS– Containing Limestone, Chalk, Calcium Carbonates.

    • Formation…
    • Qualities…Low Temperature, +Water Retention, +Drainage
  • Albariza– “Sedimentary(Calcareous)”      @Jerez, Spain
    • Formation…Diatomaceous Deposits
    • Qualities…Dry Top-Soil, +Permeability
  • Argovian Marl– “Sedimentary(Calcareous)”     @Cote de Beaune, France
    • Formation…
    • Qualities…
  • Aubuis– “Sedimentary(Calcareous)”     @Touraine, France
    • Formation…
    • Qualities…
  • Boulbenes– “Sedimentary(Calcareous)”     @Grave, Bordeaux, France
    • Qualities…Mix of Sand, Gravel, Light Clay
  • Caillottes– “Sedimentary(Calcareous)”     @Loire Valley, France
    • Qualities…Small Limestone Pieces, Flint
  • Chalk– “Sedimentary(Calcareous)”      @Champagne, France
    • Formation…Fossilized Shells, Limestone
    • Qualities… +Porosity
  • Diatomite– “Sedimentary(Calcareous)”      @Sta. Rita Hills AVA., California
    • Formation…Compressed Fossils of Algae and Other Creatures, a Limestone But One of Fossilized Algae
    • Qualities… AKA= Diatomaceous Earth
  • Dolomite– “Sedimentary(Calcareous)”     @Alto Adige, Italy
    • Formation…
    • Qualities…
  • Entroquese– “Sedimentary(Calcareous)”     @Montagny AOC.
    • Formation…
    • Qualities…
  • Limestone– “Sedimentary(Calcareous)”      
    • Geography- Cote d’Ore(Burgundy), Jerez(Andalucia), Adalaide(Paso Robles)
    • Formation…Fossilized Shells, Plankton, Calcium Carbonate
    • Qualities…Calcium From Limestone Helps Raise PH. In Grapes/ Wine, AKA= Albariza, Kimmeridgian
  • Marl– “Sedimentary(Calcareous)”      @
    • Formation…Fossilized Shells
    • Qualities… Clay, Calcium, Magnesium Carbonates, +Acid
  • Ponca– “Sedimentary(Calcareous)”      @Fruili, Italy
    • Formation…Compacted Marl, Sandstone and Marine Fossils Once In Adriatic Sea)
    • Qualities…
  • Portlandia– “Sedimentary(Calcareous)”       @France
    • Formation…
    • Qualities… Chalk, Lime
    • ~Etymology~ Portland  Refers to the Named of a Island In the English Channel Where the Limestone Formation Begins.
  • Safres– “Sedimentary(Calcareous)”      @Rhone Valley, France
    • Formation…
    • Qualities…
  • Silex– “Sedimentary (Calcareous)”      @Sancerre, France 
    • Formation…
    • Qualities… AKA=Flint, Chert
  • Terra Rossa– “Sedimentary(Calcareous)”      @Coonawarra, Istria, La Mancha
    • Formation…Type of Red Clay Produced by the Weathering of Limestone Over Thousands of Years and Colored by Iron Oxide
    • Qualities…+Calcium, Free Iron Oxide, +Porosity
  • Tuffeau– “Sedimentary(Calcareous)”      @Sancerre, France
    • Formation…Fossilized Limestone, Marine Organisms, Sand
    • Qualities…

SILICEOUS– Containing or Made of Silica or of a Crystalline Nature.

  • Boulbenes– “Sedimentary(Siliceous)”      
    • Geography- Entre-Deux-Mers(Bordeaux)
    • Qualities… Easily Compressed
  • Chert– “Sedimentary(Siliceous)”      @England
    • Qualities…Microcrystalline/ Chalcedony, Quartz Found Layered In Limestone
  • Flint– “Sedimentary(Siliceous)”     @Fouilly-Fume, France
    • Qualities…+Heat
  • Gravel– “Sedimentary(Siliceous)”      
    • Geography- St. Julien AOC.(Bordeaux)
    • Qualities…+Permeability, Reflective, +Heat, -Yield
  • Langier Loam–  “Sedimentary(Siliceous)”     @Alexander Valley AVA., California
    • Qualities…
  • Loam– “Sedimentary(Siliceous)”     @
    • Qualities…Crumbly Mix of Clay, Sand, Silt
  • Loess– “Sedimentary(Calcareous)”      
    • Geography- Loess Hills AVA.(Iowa), Pfalz(Germany), Walla Walla AVA.(Washington), Wagram(Austria), Tokaj(Hungary)
    • Qualities… Wind Blown Deposits of Sand, Clay, and Silt
      • Loess Has Moisture-Holding Capacity and Permeability.
      • Fragipan– Compact Loess
  • Quarts– “Sedimentary(Siliceous)”     @Guadalupe Valley, Mexico
    • Qualities…Silicon Dioxide, +Permeability, +PH.

CARBONACEOUS– Anaerobic Decomposition of Rotting Vegetation.

  • Anthracite– “Sedimentary(Carbonaceous)”     @
    • Qualities…
  • Coal– “Sedimentary(Carbonaceous)”      @
    • Qualities…
  • Lignite– “Sedimentary(Carbonaceous)”     @Champagne, France
    • Qualities… +Heat, +Yields
  • Peat– “Sedimentary(Carbonaceous)”      @
    • Qualities…

**Refer to “BIBLIOGRAPHY/ Sources” For Details On Scholarly Works Referenced.