ABSTRACT

Minor sedimentary structures are studied by means of X-ray radiography from cores collected from various physiographic provinces of the Gulf of Mexico.

The Gulf can be divided into two large petrographic provinces meeting at DeSoto Canyon and Campeche Canyon. The western part is a clastics province and the eastern is a carbonate province. For a study of the sedimentary structures it is necessary to divide both petrographic areas into their proper physiographic provinces.

The sedimentary structures and characteristics distinguished are: thin bedding (regular, irregular, lenticular), lamination (parallel, lenticular, irregular), coarse-grained laminae, turbidites (single, multiple, vague), convolute lamination, load casts, degassing structures, mottled, slump, homogeneous sediments, burrowing, mycellium, shells and shell fragments.

A number of these characteristics can be found in almost any area but some of them are restricted in occurrence. Cores collected from one province reveal only slight variations in their content of sedimentary structures.