The document discusses unconformities, which are breaks or gaps in the geological record where one rock formation overlies another with evidence of erosion. There are three types of unconformities: parallel, angular, and nonconformity. Unconformities can be identified using structural features like angular relationships between tilted/folded rocks, sedimentary features like basal conglomerates, and paleontological features like changes in fossil assemblages. Precambrian unconformities can be difficult to identify due to deformation and metamorphism obscuring original relationships.
Grade 8 Integrated Science Chapter 12 Lesson 1 on relative-age dating of fossils and rock layers. This lesson explains how scientists use rock layers to determine a age of a rock or fossil compared to others. The goal of this lesson is for students to be able to correctly order rock layers by age and to know the different disconformities and nonconformities.
Grade 8 Integrated Science Chapter 12 Lesson 1 on relative-age dating of fossils and rock layers. This lesson explains how scientists use rock layers to determine a age of a rock or fossil compared to others. The goal of this lesson is for students to be able to correctly order rock layers by age and to know the different disconformities and nonconformities.
Unconformities are gaps in the rock record- representing times during.pdfaakshithafashions
Unconformities are gaps in the rock record, representing times during which either no rocks were
deposited, or existing rocks were eroded. The contact between older, eroded layers and younger,
overlying layers is often irregular, so that unconformities are usually easy to recognize. Angular
unconformities are contacts where younger rocks have been deposited horizontally on top of
older rocks that had been tilted or folded. Across the resulting contact, the beds on one side of
the angular unconformity are at an angle to the beds below it (i.e., not all the rock layers are
parallel to one another). Cross-cutting relations states that any feature which cuts across a second
feature is younger than the second feature. For example, if a fault cuts across rock layers, then
the fault is younger than the rocks. If rocks are tilted or folded, the time of deformation is
younger than the rocks. Unconformities and igneous intrusions can also cut across pre-existing
layers. Figure 1 represents a vertical cross section, i.e., what you would see in a cliff face or road
cut. The rock units and events are numbered according to stratigraphic principles. Layer \#1 is
the oldest, with \#2 - \#5 deposited successively on top of it. Then all five layers were tilted
during time \#6. Erosion followed, producing the angular unconformity \#7. Layers \#8 and \#9
were deposited above the unconformity. Finallv, the igneous dike #10 was intruded, cutting
across the older layers. Herrstrom, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2018 Page 4 of 8
Because of the Principle of Included Fragments, we cannot use numerical dating to determine the
ages of sedimentary rocks in the geologic cross-section. However, we can bracket the ages of
these rocks using relative dating and the known ages of those rocks we can radiometrically date.
Use the following geologic time scale to answer the last three questions regarding the ages of the
sedimentary rocks in the 10. Over which geologic time periods did Beds 1 through 4 form? 11.
Over which geologic time periods did Beds 5 through 9 form? 12. Bed 10 could not be older than
the period..
HOW THE JOINTS WERE FORMED ,WHAT ARE THE FORMATION OF JOINTS ,CLASSIFICATION OF JOINTS ,ORIGIN AND OCCURENCE OF JOINTS ,AND ENGINEERING IMPORTANTS OF JOINTS HAS BEEN GIVEN HERE .FOR ANY CLARIFICATION PLEASE CONTACT VIA EMAIL .
Geological structures- التراكيب الجيولوجيه
Geological Structures
What are Geologic Structures?
إيه هيا التراكيب الجيولوجيه؟
Division of Structures
تقسيم للتراكيب الجيولوجيه
A- Primary structures
Ripple marks
Mud cracks
Cross bedding
Graded bedding
Burrows
B- Secondary Structures
Folds
Faults
Joints
Unconformities
What are Geologic Structures?
إيه هيا التراكيب الجيولوجيه؟
Geologic structure is any feature in rocks that results from deformation, such as folds, joints, and faults.
اى شكل فى الصخر ينتج من خلال عملية التشويه مثل : الصدوع والطيات
هى التشققات والتصدعات الضخمة والالتواءات العنيفة التى تشوه صخور القشرة الارضية .
Geologic structures are usually the result of the powerful tectonic forces that occur within the earth. These forces fold and break rocks, form deep faults, and build mountains .
Division of Structures
• Primary (or sedimentary) structures: such as ripple marks, cross-bedding, and mud cracks form in sediments during or shortly after deposition.
هى التراكيب الناتجة من تدخل العمليات الخارجية أثناء الترسيب
• Secondary structures: is that structures formed after the formations of any kind of rocks, such as folds, faults, or unconformities.
Primary structures
They are any structures in sedimentary rock formed at or shortly after the time of deposition: such as:
هى الاشكال التى تتخلف بالصخور تحت تأثير عوامل مناخية وبيئية خاصة مثل الجفاف والحرارة وتأثير الرياح والتيارات المائية وغيرها وبدون أى تدخل من جانب القوى والحركات الارضية أمثلة ذلك:
Ripple marks
علامات النيم: هي تموجات رملية صغيرة تنشأ على سطح الطبقات الرسوبية بواسطة حركة الماء أو الهواء و تكون حروف علامات النيم متعامدة على اتجاه الحركة.
They are wavelike (undulating) structures produced in granular sediment such as sand by unidirectional wind and water currents or by oscillating wave currents.
Wind and current ripples. (Asymmetric
Wave ripples. (Symmetric
Mud cracks
التشققات فى الرواسب الطينية : حيث ينكمش سطح الرسوبيات الطينية مخلفة شقوقا مميزة فى فترات الجفاف
Mud crack is a crack in clay-rich sediment that has dried out.
Cross bedding
التطبق المتقاطع هو النمط الذي تسلكه الرسوبيات الجديدة المتراكمة عند تأثرها بأي من التيارات المائية أو الهوائية. عندما تستق
Short course discussing a practical approach to Sequence Stratigraphy and attempting to clarify some of the terminological muddle that has accumulated over the past few decades.
Note: Originally presented as in-house short course for Pioneer Natural Resources Company. All material is public domain and/or original sketches/figures by author.
Cancer cell metabolism: special Reference to Lactate PathwayAADYARAJPANDEY1
Normal Cell Metabolism:
Cellular respiration describes the series of steps that cells use to break down sugar and other chemicals to get the energy we need to function.
Energy is stored in the bonds of glucose and when glucose is broken down, much of that energy is released.
Cell utilize energy in the form of ATP.
The first step of respiration is called glycolysis. In a series of steps, glycolysis breaks glucose into two smaller molecules - a chemical called pyruvate. A small amount of ATP is formed during this process.
Most healthy cells continue the breakdown in a second process, called the Kreb's cycle. The Kreb's cycle allows cells to “burn” the pyruvates made in glycolysis to get more ATP.
The last step in the breakdown of glucose is called oxidative phosphorylation (Ox-Phos).
It takes place in specialized cell structures called mitochondria. This process produces a large amount of ATP. Importantly, cells need oxygen to complete oxidative phosphorylation.
If a cell completes only glycolysis, only 2 molecules of ATP are made per glucose. However, if the cell completes the entire respiration process (glycolysis - Kreb's - oxidative phosphorylation), about 36 molecules of ATP are created, giving it much more energy to use.
IN CANCER CELL:
Unlike healthy cells that "burn" the entire molecule of sugar to capture a large amount of energy as ATP, cancer cells are wasteful.
Cancer cells only partially break down sugar molecules. They overuse the first step of respiration, glycolysis. They frequently do not complete the second step, oxidative phosphorylation.
This results in only 2 molecules of ATP per each glucose molecule instead of the 36 or so ATPs healthy cells gain. As a result, cancer cells need to use a lot more sugar molecules to get enough energy to survive.
Unlike healthy cells that "burn" the entire molecule of sugar to capture a large amount of energy as ATP, cancer cells are wasteful.
Cancer cells only partially break down sugar molecules. They overuse the first step of respiration, glycolysis. They frequently do not complete the second step, oxidative phosphorylation.
This results in only 2 molecules of ATP per each glucose molecule instead of the 36 or so ATPs healthy cells gain. As a result, cancer cells need to use a lot more sugar molecules to get enough energy to survive.
introduction to WARBERG PHENOMENA:
WARBURG EFFECT Usually, cancer cells are highly glycolytic (glucose addiction) and take up more glucose than do normal cells from outside.
Otto Heinrich Warburg (; 8 October 1883 – 1 August 1970) In 1931 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology for his "discovery of the nature and mode of action of the respiratory enzyme.
WARNBURG EFFECT : cancer cells under aerobic (well-oxygenated) conditions to metabolize glucose to lactate (aerobic glycolysis) is known as the Warburg effect. Warburg made the observation that tumor slices consume glucose and secrete lactate at a higher rate than normal tissues.
Unconformities are gaps in the rock record- representing times during.pdfaakshithafashions
Unconformities are gaps in the rock record, representing times during which either no rocks were
deposited, or existing rocks were eroded. The contact between older, eroded layers and younger,
overlying layers is often irregular, so that unconformities are usually easy to recognize. Angular
unconformities are contacts where younger rocks have been deposited horizontally on top of
older rocks that had been tilted or folded. Across the resulting contact, the beds on one side of
the angular unconformity are at an angle to the beds below it (i.e., not all the rock layers are
parallel to one another). Cross-cutting relations states that any feature which cuts across a second
feature is younger than the second feature. For example, if a fault cuts across rock layers, then
the fault is younger than the rocks. If rocks are tilted or folded, the time of deformation is
younger than the rocks. Unconformities and igneous intrusions can also cut across pre-existing
layers. Figure 1 represents a vertical cross section, i.e., what you would see in a cliff face or road
cut. The rock units and events are numbered according to stratigraphic principles. Layer \#1 is
the oldest, with \#2 - \#5 deposited successively on top of it. Then all five layers were tilted
during time \#6. Erosion followed, producing the angular unconformity \#7. Layers \#8 and \#9
were deposited above the unconformity. Finallv, the igneous dike #10 was intruded, cutting
across the older layers. Herrstrom, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2018 Page 4 of 8
Because of the Principle of Included Fragments, we cannot use numerical dating to determine the
ages of sedimentary rocks in the geologic cross-section. However, we can bracket the ages of
these rocks using relative dating and the known ages of those rocks we can radiometrically date.
Use the following geologic time scale to answer the last three questions regarding the ages of the
sedimentary rocks in the 10. Over which geologic time periods did Beds 1 through 4 form? 11.
Over which geologic time periods did Beds 5 through 9 form? 12. Bed 10 could not be older than
the period..
HOW THE JOINTS WERE FORMED ,WHAT ARE THE FORMATION OF JOINTS ,CLASSIFICATION OF JOINTS ,ORIGIN AND OCCURENCE OF JOINTS ,AND ENGINEERING IMPORTANTS OF JOINTS HAS BEEN GIVEN HERE .FOR ANY CLARIFICATION PLEASE CONTACT VIA EMAIL .
Geological structures- التراكيب الجيولوجيه
Geological Structures
What are Geologic Structures?
إيه هيا التراكيب الجيولوجيه؟
Division of Structures
تقسيم للتراكيب الجيولوجيه
A- Primary structures
Ripple marks
Mud cracks
Cross bedding
Graded bedding
Burrows
B- Secondary Structures
Folds
Faults
Joints
Unconformities
What are Geologic Structures?
إيه هيا التراكيب الجيولوجيه؟
Geologic structure is any feature in rocks that results from deformation, such as folds, joints, and faults.
اى شكل فى الصخر ينتج من خلال عملية التشويه مثل : الصدوع والطيات
هى التشققات والتصدعات الضخمة والالتواءات العنيفة التى تشوه صخور القشرة الارضية .
Geologic structures are usually the result of the powerful tectonic forces that occur within the earth. These forces fold and break rocks, form deep faults, and build mountains .
Division of Structures
• Primary (or sedimentary) structures: such as ripple marks, cross-bedding, and mud cracks form in sediments during or shortly after deposition.
هى التراكيب الناتجة من تدخل العمليات الخارجية أثناء الترسيب
• Secondary structures: is that structures formed after the formations of any kind of rocks, such as folds, faults, or unconformities.
Primary structures
They are any structures in sedimentary rock formed at or shortly after the time of deposition: such as:
هى الاشكال التى تتخلف بالصخور تحت تأثير عوامل مناخية وبيئية خاصة مثل الجفاف والحرارة وتأثير الرياح والتيارات المائية وغيرها وبدون أى تدخل من جانب القوى والحركات الارضية أمثلة ذلك:
Ripple marks
علامات النيم: هي تموجات رملية صغيرة تنشأ على سطح الطبقات الرسوبية بواسطة حركة الماء أو الهواء و تكون حروف علامات النيم متعامدة على اتجاه الحركة.
They are wavelike (undulating) structures produced in granular sediment such as sand by unidirectional wind and water currents or by oscillating wave currents.
Wind and current ripples. (Asymmetric
Wave ripples. (Symmetric
Mud cracks
التشققات فى الرواسب الطينية : حيث ينكمش سطح الرسوبيات الطينية مخلفة شقوقا مميزة فى فترات الجفاف
Mud crack is a crack in clay-rich sediment that has dried out.
Cross bedding
التطبق المتقاطع هو النمط الذي تسلكه الرسوبيات الجديدة المتراكمة عند تأثرها بأي من التيارات المائية أو الهوائية. عندما تستق
Short course discussing a practical approach to Sequence Stratigraphy and attempting to clarify some of the terminological muddle that has accumulated over the past few decades.
Note: Originally presented as in-house short course for Pioneer Natural Resources Company. All material is public domain and/or original sketches/figures by author.
Cancer cell metabolism: special Reference to Lactate PathwayAADYARAJPANDEY1
Normal Cell Metabolism:
Cellular respiration describes the series of steps that cells use to break down sugar and other chemicals to get the energy we need to function.
Energy is stored in the bonds of glucose and when glucose is broken down, much of that energy is released.
Cell utilize energy in the form of ATP.
The first step of respiration is called glycolysis. In a series of steps, glycolysis breaks glucose into two smaller molecules - a chemical called pyruvate. A small amount of ATP is formed during this process.
Most healthy cells continue the breakdown in a second process, called the Kreb's cycle. The Kreb's cycle allows cells to “burn” the pyruvates made in glycolysis to get more ATP.
The last step in the breakdown of glucose is called oxidative phosphorylation (Ox-Phos).
It takes place in specialized cell structures called mitochondria. This process produces a large amount of ATP. Importantly, cells need oxygen to complete oxidative phosphorylation.
If a cell completes only glycolysis, only 2 molecules of ATP are made per glucose. However, if the cell completes the entire respiration process (glycolysis - Kreb's - oxidative phosphorylation), about 36 molecules of ATP are created, giving it much more energy to use.
IN CANCER CELL:
Unlike healthy cells that "burn" the entire molecule of sugar to capture a large amount of energy as ATP, cancer cells are wasteful.
Cancer cells only partially break down sugar molecules. They overuse the first step of respiration, glycolysis. They frequently do not complete the second step, oxidative phosphorylation.
This results in only 2 molecules of ATP per each glucose molecule instead of the 36 or so ATPs healthy cells gain. As a result, cancer cells need to use a lot more sugar molecules to get enough energy to survive.
Unlike healthy cells that "burn" the entire molecule of sugar to capture a large amount of energy as ATP, cancer cells are wasteful.
Cancer cells only partially break down sugar molecules. They overuse the first step of respiration, glycolysis. They frequently do not complete the second step, oxidative phosphorylation.
This results in only 2 molecules of ATP per each glucose molecule instead of the 36 or so ATPs healthy cells gain. As a result, cancer cells need to use a lot more sugar molecules to get enough energy to survive.
introduction to WARBERG PHENOMENA:
WARBURG EFFECT Usually, cancer cells are highly glycolytic (glucose addiction) and take up more glucose than do normal cells from outside.
Otto Heinrich Warburg (; 8 October 1883 – 1 August 1970) In 1931 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology for his "discovery of the nature and mode of action of the respiratory enzyme.
WARNBURG EFFECT : cancer cells under aerobic (well-oxygenated) conditions to metabolize glucose to lactate (aerobic glycolysis) is known as the Warburg effect. Warburg made the observation that tumor slices consume glucose and secrete lactate at a higher rate than normal tissues.
Professional air quality monitoring systems provide immediate, on-site data for analysis, compliance, and decision-making.
Monitor common gases, weather parameters, particulates.
This pdf is about the Schizophrenia.
For more details visit on YouTube; @SELF-EXPLANATORY;
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAiarMZDNhe1A3Rnpr_WkzA/videos
Thanks...!
Earliest Galaxies in the JADES Origins Field: Luminosity Function and Cosmic ...Sérgio Sacani
We characterize the earliest galaxy population in the JADES Origins Field (JOF), the deepest
imaging field observed with JWST. We make use of the ancillary Hubble optical images (5 filters
spanning 0.4−0.9µm) and novel JWST images with 14 filters spanning 0.8−5µm, including 7 mediumband filters, and reaching total exposure times of up to 46 hours per filter. We combine all our data
at > 2.3µm to construct an ultradeep image, reaching as deep as ≈ 31.4 AB mag in the stack and
30.3-31.0 AB mag (5σ, r = 0.1” circular aperture) in individual filters. We measure photometric
redshifts and use robust selection criteria to identify a sample of eight galaxy candidates at redshifts
z = 11.5 − 15. These objects show compact half-light radii of R1/2 ∼ 50 − 200pc, stellar masses of
M⋆ ∼ 107−108M⊙, and star-formation rates of SFR ∼ 0.1−1 M⊙ yr−1
. Our search finds no candidates
at 15 < z < 20, placing upper limits at these redshifts. We develop a forward modeling approach to
infer the properties of the evolving luminosity function without binning in redshift or luminosity that
marginalizes over the photometric redshift uncertainty of our candidate galaxies and incorporates the
impact of non-detections. We find a z = 12 luminosity function in good agreement with prior results,
and that the luminosity function normalization and UV luminosity density decline by a factor of ∼ 2.5
from z = 12 to z = 14. We discuss the possible implications of our results in the context of theoretical
models for evolution of the dark matter halo mass function.
The increased availability of biomedical data, particularly in the public domain, offers the opportunity to better understand human health and to develop effective therapeutics for a wide range of unmet medical needs. However, data scientists remain stymied by the fact that data remain hard to find and to productively reuse because data and their metadata i) are wholly inaccessible, ii) are in non-standard or incompatible representations, iii) do not conform to community standards, and iv) have unclear or highly restricted terms and conditions that preclude legitimate reuse. These limitations require a rethink on data can be made machine and AI-ready - the key motivation behind the FAIR Guiding Principles. Concurrently, while recent efforts have explored the use of deep learning to fuse disparate data into predictive models for a wide range of biomedical applications, these models often fail even when the correct answer is already known, and fail to explain individual predictions in terms that data scientists can appreciate. These limitations suggest that new methods to produce practical artificial intelligence are still needed.
In this talk, I will discuss our work in (1) building an integrative knowledge infrastructure to prepare FAIR and "AI-ready" data and services along with (2) neurosymbolic AI methods to improve the quality of predictions and to generate plausible explanations. Attention is given to standards, platforms, and methods to wrangle knowledge into simple, but effective semantic and latent representations, and to make these available into standards-compliant and discoverable interfaces that can be used in model building, validation, and explanation. Our work, and those of others in the field, creates a baseline for building trustworthy and easy to deploy AI models in biomedicine.
Bio
Dr. Michel Dumontier is the Distinguished Professor of Data Science at Maastricht University, founder and executive director of the Institute of Data Science, and co-founder of the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) data principles. His research explores socio-technological approaches for responsible discovery science, which includes collaborative multi-modal knowledge graphs, privacy-preserving distributed data mining, and AI methods for drug discovery and personalized medicine. His work is supported through the Dutch National Research Agenda, the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, Horizon Europe, the European Open Science Cloud, the US National Institutes of Health, and a Marie-Curie Innovative Training Network. He is the editor-in-chief for the journal Data Science and is internationally recognized for his contributions in bioinformatics, biomedical informatics, and semantic technologies including ontologies and linked data.
Introduction:
RNA interference (RNAi) or Post-Transcriptional Gene Silencing (PTGS) is an important biological process for modulating eukaryotic gene expression.
It is highly conserved process of posttranscriptional gene silencing by which double stranded RNA (dsRNA) causes sequence-specific degradation of mRNA sequences.
dsRNA-induced gene silencing (RNAi) is reported in a wide range of eukaryotes ranging from worms, insects, mammals and plants.
This process mediates resistance to both endogenous parasitic and exogenous pathogenic nucleic acids, and regulates the expression of protein-coding genes.
What are small ncRNAs?
micro RNA (miRNA)
short interfering RNA (siRNA)
Properties of small non-coding RNA:
Involved in silencing mRNA transcripts.
Called “small” because they are usually only about 21-24 nucleotides long.
Synthesized by first cutting up longer precursor sequences (like the 61nt one that Lee discovered).
Silence an mRNA by base pairing with some sequence on the mRNA.
Discovery of siRNA?
The first small RNA:
In 1993 Rosalind Lee (Victor Ambros lab) was studying a non- coding gene in C. elegans, lin-4, that was involved in silencing of another gene, lin-14, at the appropriate time in the
development of the worm C. elegans.
Two small transcripts of lin-4 (22nt and 61nt) were found to be complementary to a sequence in the 3' UTR of lin-14.
Because lin-4 encoded no protein, she deduced that it must be these transcripts that are causing the silencing by RNA-RNA interactions.
Types of RNAi ( non coding RNA)
MiRNA
Length (23-25 nt)
Trans acting
Binds with target MRNA in mismatch
Translation inhibition
Si RNA
Length 21 nt.
Cis acting
Bind with target Mrna in perfect complementary sequence
Piwi-RNA
Length ; 25 to 36 nt.
Expressed in Germ Cells
Regulates trnasposomes activity
MECHANISM OF RNAI:
First the double-stranded RNA teams up with a protein complex named Dicer, which cuts the long RNA into short pieces.
Then another protein complex called RISC (RNA-induced silencing complex) discards one of the two RNA strands.
The RISC-docked, single-stranded RNA then pairs with the homologous mRNA and destroys it.
THE RISC COMPLEX:
RISC is large(>500kD) RNA multi- protein Binding complex which triggers MRNA degradation in response to MRNA
Unwinding of double stranded Si RNA by ATP independent Helicase
Active component of RISC is Ago proteins( ENDONUCLEASE) which cleave target MRNA.
DICER: endonuclease (RNase Family III)
Argonaute: Central Component of the RNA-Induced Silencing Complex (RISC)
One strand of the dsRNA produced by Dicer is retained in the RISC complex in association with Argonaute
ARGONAUTE PROTEIN :
1.PAZ(PIWI/Argonaute/ Zwille)- Recognition of target MRNA
2.PIWI (p-element induced wimpy Testis)- breaks Phosphodiester bond of mRNA.)RNAse H activity.
MiRNA:
The Double-stranded RNAs are naturally produced in eukaryotic cells during development, and they have a key role in regulating gene expression .
A brief information about the SCOP protein database used in bioinformatics.
The Structural Classification of Proteins (SCOP) database is a comprehensive and authoritative resource for the structural and evolutionary relationships of proteins. It provides a detailed and curated classification of protein structures, grouping them into families, superfamilies, and folds based on their structural and sequence similarities.
Multi-source connectivity as the driver of solar wind variability in the heli...Sérgio Sacani
The ambient solar wind that flls the heliosphere originates from multiple
sources in the solar corona and is highly structured. It is often described
as high-speed, relatively homogeneous, plasma streams from coronal
holes and slow-speed, highly variable, streams whose source regions are
under debate. A key goal of ESA/NASA’s Solar Orbiter mission is to identify
solar wind sources and understand what drives the complexity seen in the
heliosphere. By combining magnetic feld modelling and spectroscopic
techniques with high-resolution observations and measurements, we show
that the solar wind variability detected in situ by Solar Orbiter in March
2022 is driven by spatio-temporal changes in the magnetic connectivity to
multiple sources in the solar atmosphere. The magnetic feld footpoints
connected to the spacecraft moved from the boundaries of a coronal hole
to one active region (12961) and then across to another region (12957). This
is refected in the in situ measurements, which show the transition from fast
to highly Alfvénic then to slow solar wind that is disrupted by the arrival of
a coronal mass ejection. Our results describe solar wind variability at 0.5 au
but are applicable to near-Earth observatories.
2. When stratified rock formations are
deposited regularly and continuously one
above the other without any disturbance
or break in the succession presenting a
series of parallel beds, the sequence is
called conformable beds or series and the
structure is called conformity.
If, on the other hand one set of strata is
deposited on the eroded surface of an
older series that is not the next in the
succession the two series are said to be
unconformable and the erosion surface is
between that separate the two series is
called unconformity.
Unconformity indicates discontinuity,
disruption or breaks the deposition and
therefore a major time gap or a major
break. The shorter gaps are known as
Diastems. The relief of the erosion surface
between the older and the new or younger
series may be smooth or irregular.
3. Unconformity is of three kinds.
Parallel unconformity
Angular unconformity
Non-conformity
4. An erosion surface with an uneven relief between two
parallel (conformable) series.
5. An unconformity in which a younger parallel series
deposited on an erosion surface of a lower deformed
(tilted, folded and or faulted) older series with an
angular discordance
6. An unconformity between two series of rock of
different origins like an upper younger stratified
formation and an older non-stratified or massive
igneous or metamorphic rock.
7. There are three broad classes of criteria-structural,
sedimentary and paleontological.
Structural criteria
The most commonly encountered structural criteria are the
angular unconformity and the disconformity represented
by an undulatory surface which is produced by erosion and
emergence and which cuts across the bedding planes of the
underlying formation. The truncation of one group of beds
by another may result from both faulting and the
develelopment of unconformity. An angular unconformity
can therefore be established only if the field observations
rule out the possibility of occurrence of a fault along the
surface of discontinuity.
8. Sedimentary criteria
Among the sedimentary criteria, the most important is
the presence of a basal conglomerate in the unit lying
above the surface of discontinuity. A sub-aerial
discontinuity is also indicated by the presence of
residual chert and buried soil profiles. Submarine
disconformities may be respresented by zones of
glauconite, phosphatized pebbles or by manganiferous
zones.
9. Paleontological criteria
Paleontologic criteria, the most important of which are
the sudden changes in faunal assemblages and the
presence of a significant gap in the evolutionary
development of the fauna.
10. An unconformity can be easily recognized when flat-lying, undeformed or
weakly deformed sediments of a younger age overlie an older group of
schists and gneisses. The older crystalline rocks in such a situation are
generally described as a basement while the overlying sedimentary strata
are described as a cover. Because of later meta-sedimentary strata are
described as a cover. Because of later metamorphism and deformation, it is
often extremely difficult to determine the exact nature of the basement
cover relationship in may Precambrian terrains.
An unconformity may even record a worldwide stratigraphic event. Thus,
Suess (1906) suggested that the unconformities associated with Late
Cretaceous marine transgression are related with eustatic or worldwide
changes in the sea level. Similarly, the basal Cambrian unconformity
(matthews & cowie, 1979) is of virtually global extent. So are the
unconformities associated with the major Ordovician transgression
(McKerrow 1979, Vail et.al, 1977) and the post-cretaceous regression
(Hallam, 1963). It should be noted that eustatic changes of sea level do not
explain all the features associated with the major global-scale
unconformities. The angular unconformities must have been associated
with some tectonic activities.
11. The main processes which modify the initial angular
unconformity between a basement and its
sedimentary cover and to enumerate the problems of
identifying the basement in deformed and
metamorphic terrains.
When a crystalline basement covered with sediments,
and with a nonconformity or an angular unconformity
between the two groups of rocks, is deformed in a later
orogenic cycle, there may be different degrees of
folding of the cover (plis de couverture of Argand,
1922) while the basement remains more or less passive.
12. For example, the cover rocks of Mesozoic age are detached
from the basement of crystalline Palaeozoic rocks are
folded independently. This process of detachment, known
as decollement, usually takes place along extremely
incompetent beds of anhydrite or salt-bearing clays. Inspite
of the occurrence of the plane of detachment or
dislocation, it is not difficult in this case to have an idea of
the character of the original interface between the cover
and the basement. Indeed, in Jura and elsewhere in
Western Europe a thin layer of the cover often remains
attached to the basement while detachment has taken
place on a slightly higher horizon.
13. The nature of the original interface can also be identified when the
basement is weakly deformed to produce large warps on the
interface or when it is broken up by a number of faults, while the
cover passively adjusts itself by folding. The interface, however,
becomes greatly modified in a type of deformation in which slices of
the basement are thrust into the cover as basement wedges or, as in
the extreme case of the Eastern Alps, a slice of the basement is
dragged over a low-angle thrust over rocks which form the
sedimentary cover of the Western Alps. The basement along with its
sedimentary cover may be deformed together in a ductile manner
and may give rise to what has been described by Eskola (1949) as a
mantled gneiss dome. A remarkable ductility of the basement is
shown by the Monte Rosa type of Nappse in the Western alps and
elsewhere where the basement forms the cores of huge recumbent
fold.
In such strongly deformed terrains as in the Alps, the basement can
be identified because of the presence of a good stratigraphic control
so that a cover bed of known age can be identified in different
regions and sometimes can be traced from a weakly deformed to a
strongly deformed terrain.
14. Identification of the basement becomes extremely
difficult in many Precambrian terrains where the
stratigraphic control is poor and where the cover and
the basement have undergone multiple deformations
and polyphase metamorphism. Many Precambrian
terrains have large expanses of granite gneiss and
migmatites and are bordered by schist belts of
metasediments and metavolcanics. The problem in
these regions is to decide from field evidence whether
the gneissic terrain represents a basement or whether
the gneisses are younger than the schist belt
15. The occurrence of a conglomerate bed along the
schist-gneiss contact no doubt strongly suggests that
the interface represents an unconformity surface.
However, a conglomerate may not be present in all
such terrains. While identifying a surface of erosion
from the presence of a conglomerate bed in such
strongly deformed terrains, one should be careful to
distinguish between a true sedimentary conglomerate
and an autoclastic conglomerate. An autoclastic
conglomerate is generally produced by intense
deformation and fragmentation of a layer and may
look very similar to a true conglomerate.
16. While establishing the presence of an angular unconformity in
such strongly deformed terrains, one should always remember
that the angular relation must be between the depositional
surfaces of the two groups of rocks. Thus, an angular
unconformity is not established when the bedding or foliataion
of the schist belt or the banding and the foliation of the gneisses
terminate against the schist-gneiss boundary, because this
boundary does not necessarily represent a depositional surface.
For the same reason an angular relation between the bedding in
the schists and the foliation in gneisses does not indicate an
unconformity.
If we find that the gneissic complex contains a foliation or a set
of folds which is earlier than all the structures of the schist belt
and if there is no sign of faulting between the two groups of
rocks, then it is reasonable to suggest that the schist-gneiss
interface represents an unconformity.
17. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that migmatization in the
B.G.C. does not have a separate structural entity and all the
generations of folds and foliations in it also occur in the Aravalli
Group of rocks. These relations apparently indicate that the
Aravalli metasediments cannot be younger than the B.G.C. On
the other hand, the B.G.C. in southern Rajasthan contains rocks
as old as 3500 Ma.
These relations are in agreement with the conclusion that the
B.G.C. represents an ancient basement on which the Aravalli
sediments were unconformably deposited.
The foliation and axial planes of folds in these enclaves often
occur at an angle to the synmigmatitic foliation of the newly
formed host gneiss.
18. In the Precambrian gneissic complex of the Schirmacher Hills in E.
Antarctica there is a series of such enclaves of an older basement
deformed to different degrees during a later event of synkinematic
migmatization which produced the host gneiss.
The dykes cut across the migmatitic foliation of the Scourian gneisses.
During the Laxfordian phase the dykes were folded, metamorphosed
and migmatized. The Scourian gneiss was also rejuvenated in
Laxfordian times. Where this process was intense, the distinctive
characters of the earlier gneiss were blotted out.
19. Unconformity in the field is recognized by some of the following
criteria:
Direct observation in hill sides, valleys slopes, cliff, quarries and
excavations
One formation resting on the tilted or folded and eroded edges of
several beds
Presence of a bed of conglomerate called basal conglomerate consisting
of pebbles of underlying older beds on an erosion surface.
Contrast in the trends dip, strike and folding, faulting, fossils etc of the
two adjacent or successive series.
Termination of dikes and other intrusive igneous bodies and fault in
lower series at the junction at the two series
Presence of residual soil in between tow series
Rock formations of different origin like volcanic or sedimentary rock
resting upon the eroded surface of a igneous or metamorphic rock
formation