SEDIMENTARY STRUCTURES
Sedimentary structures are features in sedimentary
rocks that provide information about the physical environment conditions
present when sediments were originally deposited. They permit geologists
to determined whether, for example, a particular sandstone was deposited in an
ancient desert environment, a river environment, a beach environment, a shallow
ocean environment, or wherever.
Some sedimentary structures are not very
informative. Others provide exceedingly specific information about the
original depositional environment.