Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/43151

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Title
A comparison of grain-size analysis methods for sand-dominated fluvial sediments
Author/Creator
Cheetham, Michael D.;  Keene, Annabelle F.;  Bush, Richard T.;  Sullivan, Leigh A.;  Erskine, Wayne D.
Institution
The University of Newcastle. Faculty of Science & Information Technology, School of Environmental and Life Sciences
Description
Grain-size distribution is a fundamental tool for interpreting sedimentary units within depositional systems. The techniques assessed in this study are commonly used to determine grain-size distributions for sand-dominated sediments. However, the degree of consistency and differences in interpretation when using a combination of grain-size methods have not yet been assessed systematically for sand-dominated fluvial sediments. Results obtained from laser diffraction, X-ray attenuation and scanning electron microscopy grain-size analysis techniques were compared with those obtained from the traditional sieve/hydrometer method. Scanning electron microscopy was shown to provide an inaccurate quantitative analysis of grain-size distributions because of difficulties in obtaining representative samples for examination. The X-ray attenuation method is unsuitable for sand-dominated sediments because of its upper size range of only 300 μm. The consistently strong correlation between the laser diffraction results and the sieve/hydrometer results shows that these methods are comparable for sand-dominated fluvial sediments. Provided that sample preparation is consistent, the latter two methods can be used together within a study of such sediments while maintaining a high degree of accuracy. These results indicate that data for sand-dominated fluvial sediments gained from the long-established sieve/hydrometer method can be compared with confidence to those obtained by modern studies using laser diffraction techniques.
Relation
Sedimentology Vol. 55, Issue 6, p. 1905-1913
Publisher Link
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3091.2008.00972.x
Date
2008
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing
Keyword(s)
hydrometer;  laser diffraction;  scanning electron microscopy;  sieve;  X-ray attenuation
Resource Type
journal article
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/43151
Identifier
ISSN:0037-0746
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Subject
"Sedimentology"
 
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