More than 60 samples of gravel from beaches of Mexico and southern California were mechanically analyzed in the field by use of a new method. Median diameters range between 20 and 800 mm. Trask sorting coefficients are characteristically lower than 1.5 and have a median of 1.25. Comparison with published analyses shows that the marine beach gravels are far better sorted than gravels from streams and alluvial fans. The difference is sufficiently great that sorting may be a useful supplementary means of determining the environment in which ancient conglomerates were deposited.

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