Imbricated

Imbricated

Minerals, rocks and sediments

Published in Richard J. Chorley, Stanley A. Schumm, David E. Sugden, Geomorphology, 2019

Richard J. Chorley, Stanley A. Schumm, David E. Sugden

The fabric of a sediment is a term which describes the spatial arrangement of its constituent particles. The two most important aspects of fabric are particle orientation and packing. Orientation relates to the position of the particle in space and, in particular, to the direction and dip of the long axis. An important orientation structure is the imbricate (Latin: imbrex – ‘a gutter tile’) or gravel fabric in which the particles are arranged somewhat like the tiles on a roof, overlapping and dipping in the opposite direction to that of the current flow at 15°–30° in fluvial deposits and 2°–15° in marine beach gravels. Another is the sub-glacial till fabric expressed by the long axes of large pebbles being orientated parallel to the direction of the flowing ice.

Paleocurrent and paleowind direction reconstruction research progress and perspectives: a review

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Journal Information

Published in Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, 2023

F. Y. Zhao, C. L. Hu, C. C. Han, Y. Q. Dong, Q. X. Yuan

Imbricate structures refer to the arrangement of flat gravels along a specific direction under the action of water flow. The orientation of the largest flat surface of imbricate gravel dips into the direction of the water flow, and its reverse direction points to the paleocurrent direction (Figure 9; Du, 2018).

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Paleocurrent and paleowind direction reconstruction research progress and perspectives: a review