Lithofacies
Encyclopedia
Lithofacies may refer to:
- A mappable subdivision of a designated stratigraphic unit, distinguished from adjacent subdivisions on the basis of lithologyLithologyThe lithology of a rock unit is a description of its physical characteristics visible at outcrop, in hand or core samples or with low magnification microscopy, such as colour, texture, grain size, or composition. It may be either a detailed description of these characteristics or be a summary of...
; a faciesFaciesIn geology, facies are a body of rock with specified characteristics. Ideally, a facies is a distinctive rock unit that forms under certain conditions of sedimentation, reflecting a particular process or environment....
characterized by particular lithologic features. - The rock record of any particular sedimentary environmentSedimentary depositional environmentIn geology, sedimentary depositional environment describes the combination of physical, chemical and biological processes associated with the deposition of a particular type of sediment and, therefore, the rock types that will be formed after lithification, if the sediment is preserved in the rock...
, including both physical and organic characteristics. - cf: LithotopeLithotopeA lithotope is either an environment in which a sediment was deposited or an area of uniform sedimentation....