Rock of the week - 3. Sedimentary rocks - Mudstone

Mudstone is a type of fine-grained sedimentary rock primarily composed of clay- and silt-sized particles. Its formation involves several stages:
1. Erosion and Weathering: Parent rocks, often igneous, metamorphic, or other sedimentary rocks, are broken down through physical weathering (e.g., freeze-thaw, abrasion) and chemical weathering (e.g., dissolution, hydrolysis). This process produces fine particles like clay and silt.
2. Transportation: These fine particles are transported by water, wind, or ice. Rivers and streams, for instance, carry these sediments to lower-energy environments, such as lakes, floodplains, or the ocean.
3. Deposition: Mudstone forms in quiet, low-energy environments where the fine particles can settle out of suspension. Examples include the bottoms of lakes, lagoons, deep-sea floors, or tidal flats. These areas allow for the slow accumulation of clay and silt particles because there is minimal disturbance.
4. Compaction: Over time, layers of fine sediment build up and are buried under additional sediments. The weight of the overlying layers exerts pressure, squeezing the sediments together. Water is expelled, and the particles are compacted into a dense layer.
5. Cementation: Minerals, such as silica or calcite, precipitate from groundwater flowing through the compacted sediment. These minerals bind the particles together, transforming the sediment into a solid rock.
The resulting rock is mudstone, characterized by its smooth texture, lack of visible layering (if it doesn’t split easily, unlike shale), and fine-grained appearance. #scottishgeologist #geology #scottishgeology #geologist #reelsaboutrocks #tiktocksaboutrocks #tiktoksaboutrocks

[@ThePuppetKeeper]

Very Interesting .. Keep those videos coming. i learn more each day :)

[@sarogers6294]

Please fix the volume

[@peterburridge9346]

Thank you very much for taking the time to make and, upload the videos the only problem was with the sound.

[@itakethequeen8454]

I'm really enjoying your longer youtube vids. Cant wait for the next one :) so interesting. I love learning about the natural world and to have a channel that focuses on scotlands geology is awesome! Keep them coming

[@neilwilson5871]

Aye, rocks n that ..right!?! 🤣 Love the channel, and the exotic accent.
( I'm 6miles from Glasgow 😁)

[@alansdorsetfossils4028]

If you cut a piece of Caithness flagstone, using a diamond wheel running through a tank of water as is often the case with stone cutting, then just let the water in the tank evaporate the tiny grains of mudstone will recombine and even without any pressure from above they reform into stone again. It's not going to be mechanically as strong as that compressed under tons of sediment from above but nevertheless you would recognise it as stone. I guessed you would not be much be interested in sedimentary rocks even before you said so on this vid, personally I'm interested in all rock types. If you look at a piece like yours okay it's sedimentary but you will detect light and dark bands, these represent, periods of monsoon seasons followed by lighter bands or dry spells, so they still have a story to tell. Also if you look at these mudstones in bright sunlight you will detect tiny sparkling bits, these are mica schists from metamorphic rocks transported by rivers from the Caladonian Mountains and deposited into Lake Orcadia. You will also know for sure that these Scottish fossil fish in these mudstones are world famous. I enjoy your vids very much.

[@raulpop3d905]

Great, but you wil need to something about the sound quality at some point

[@quantumcat7673]

Thanks for this interesting geology lecture. I'm currently not very far from where The Hebridean Terrane in northwest Scotland was when it was still part of Laurentia.

[@kevinh2969]

Volume very low

[@finnwillows6031]

Good video but the volume is too low.

[@Culbokie_croft]

Hugh Miller would have been interested in this talk.

[@Crabby303]

Would be awesome to see a collab with Scott Brown on some proper bouncy geology-themed aggressive gabber.

[@briandwi2504]

Thanks!

[@patchso]

Lovin' a bit of mudstone.

[@alanmartin6708]

@Scottishgeologist How to look for gold, silver & coal deposits?

[@DaveForrest]

How was the sound....well, Am gonnae tell ye! Sound crap on laptop right, but switched over to mobile and it was fine. Great wee vid as always. 🙂

[@blobrana8515]

I think i like sedimentary rocks rocks better because they may contain fossils

[@mineown1861]

Poor sedimentaries , unglamorous but great to carve.

[@67comet]

Oh no, the sound is busted :( .. I hope you can edit it and get it back up .. Learnin' rocks ain't the same w/out the ScottishGeologist's voice .

[@MarySweeney-g9d]

What happens to all the poop. I'm just interested as one of my neighbours has two tanks full😊

[@DavoidJohnson]

It's sedimentary my dear Watson

[@UncleBucky78]

I don’t think you’re mic is working properly pal

[@Poppageno]

Luisa, Thanks, I was just looking at a bit of my local mudstone, The Santa Cruz Mudstone, today. Is all mudstone black? Why?

[@sparthir]

Casually throwing a rock over a glass table. What could go wrong? :D

[@Jim_Newlands]

Sorry, I can barely hear you. I know my hearing isn't great at the best of times... but this is way too low level! 😔

[@MarySweeney-g9d]

Bye the way I dont like tea❤