Preservation of sedimentary structures in wet unconsolidated sands using polyester resins

Digital Rendering of Sedimentary-Relief Peels: Implications for Clastic Facies Characterization and Fluid Flow

“…All of these microscopic observations are consistent with an understanding of the processes involved in the acquisition of such peels (McMullen and Allen 1964;Koster et al 1993; greater lacquer imbibition and higher relative elevation in finer and/or more poorly sorted laminae), but it has never been demonstrated as quantitatively as it is demonstrated here. These observations are also consistent with the process-sedimentology description of ripple-laminae deposition and local size sorting (Allen 1971 , his fig.…”

“…that invades the sample and hardens to generate relief related to sedimentary structures. Techniques for acquisition of different types of deposits must carefully consider the grain sizes in the context of the hardening fluid viscosities and surface tensions (Bouma 1969, his Allen (1964) indicate for sand-size materials and polyester resins that the fluid ''penetrates the sample by capillary action as a result of wetting and surface tension effects. The rate and depth of penetration are controlled by the force of gravity, the specific gravity of liquids, viscosity of the impregnating fluid, and the grain size, sorting, and water content (if any) of the sample.…”

“…Sedimentary-relief peels have been a primary observational technique for decades (McMullen and Allen 1964;Bouma 1969;Allen 1971;Kidwell et al 1985;Hattingh and Zawada 1996;Yang et al 2011). Hundreds (likely thousands) of specimens of variable quality exist, representing a wide range of acquisition techniques, and depositional processes and sedimentary environments (e.g., Martinius and van den Berg 2011).…”