Stylolites: characteristics and origin
Loading...
Date
1984-03
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Ohio State University
Abstract
Stylolites are alternating interpenetrating columns of stone that form irregular interlocking partings or sutures in rock strata. They are most common along bedding planes of limestone but some are oblique or even perpendicular to bedding . Although the vast majority of stylolites occur in calcareous rocks, stylolites have been found in sandstone, quartzite and gypsum. The word "stylolite" refers to each individual column of stone. Across section of a group of stylolites parallel to their length presents a rough, jagged line called a "stylolite seam" that resembles the sutures of a human skull. Stylolites always have a dark colored "clay" cap at the ends of the columns. The sides of the columns are typically discolored with a thin film of clay and show parallel flutings or striations that parallel their length. The shapes of individual stylolites vary greatly from broad flat-topped columns to pointed, jagged and tapering forms. After much controversy concerning the origin of stylolites, it is generally believed that they form by a process of chemical solution under pressure in lithified rock along some crack or seam. The interteething is produced because of differential solubilities and pressures within the rock unit. The clay cap on the stylolites is the non-soluble residue of the dissolved rock. Stylolites are only one of the possible end products in the spectrum of limestone responses to stress. They form in limestone units that have structural resistance to stress and contain relatively little clay or silt. Stylolites may play a major role in initiating or preserving oil accumulations in limestone. Where they are formed due to tectonic compression, stylolites may be useful in providing information on paleo-stress patterns.