Slide 18
Slide 18 text
Mechanical durability is also important. Minerals which are hard,
or which have no cleavage, are likely to survive longer: they are more resistant to
abrasion during transport.
Quartz is by far the most common of these stable, durable minerals, and the
commonest component in clastic sediments. It survives because of its resistance
to chemical attack (it is soluble only in highly alkaline solutions), and its
mechanical durability (hardness 7, no cleavage).
The concept of mineralogical maturity: a mineralogically mature sediment or
sedimentary rock is one which consists largely of the stable minerals,
particularly quartz. Mineralogically mature rocks are those which have undergone
prolonged weathering, transport and reworking.
Cassiterite sands of Bangka-Belitung coast & gold detritus of Kutai placer. Photo by Andri SSM
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