The world’s least loved sedimentary structures: Sole marks as guides to flow dynamics, substrates, and the misidentification of life

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• Jeff Peakall, University of Leeds
• Tuesday 27 May 2025, 12:00-13:00
• Department of Earth Sciences, Tilley Lecture Theatre.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Dr Rachael Rhodes.

Sole marks are sedimentary structures that are typically seen on the base of beds and encompass a wide range of forms from flutes to grooves. They are particularly prevalent in lacustrine and deep-marine sediments, but their utility has largely been restricted to palaeocurrent information in marked contrast to most other sedimentary structures which provide information about flow conditions, and thus environments. Whilst their counterparts such as ripples and dunes have remained the focus of extensive research, almost all work on sole marks stopped more than half a century ago. This work from the 1950s to the early 1970s left behind a series of enigmatic observations on the distribution and prevalence of these different structures. These unloved structures are revisited here, and these enigmas addressed. It is shown that sole marks provide a wealth of information that goes far beyond palaeocurrents. They provide information on flow type, flow transformation in space and time, substrate conditions, sediment bypass, and the nature of aqueous sediment gravity flows. In turn, these findings challenge most of our previous understanding of sole marks, that has stood for the past 60-70 years. Certain types of sole structures, here termed flow-induced interfacial deformation structures (FIDS), also produce a range of complex patterns. In turbiditic sequences these patterns have in many cases been misidentified as MISS – microbially induced sedimentary structures. The identification of MISS is in turn often used to imply shallow water conditions within the photic zone, and consequently, this can lead to misidentification of environments.

This talk is part of the Department of Earth Sciences Seminars (downtown) series.

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• Department of Earth Sciences Seminars (downtown)
• Department of Earth Sciences seminars
• Department of Earth Sciences, Tilley Lecture Theatre
• ps635

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