Experiments demonstrating sandstone diagenesis:

Verification of consolidation of sands using ice balls as sand grains

Abstract

Three experiments were conducted using ice balls to model the effects of the compaction, pressure solution, and cementation of sand grains during lithification. In experiment A, two ice balls were stacked together in a plastic pipe, which was then placed in a freezer at temperatures ranging from −14.5°C to −19.6°C. In Experiment B, the same conditions were used, but stainless-steel nuts and bolts weighing 890 g were placed over the stacked ice balls to simulate compaction. After one month, the ice balls in both experiments were bonded together. Thin section observations of the bonded ice balls from Experiment A showed that the contacts between ice balls resembled the long contacts of sand grains formed during pressure solution. In Experiment C, two ice balls were placed together in a plastic pipe filled with warm air (33.0°C and 46% relative humidity), which was then sealed with a plastic covering and placed in a freezer at temperatures ranging from −17.8°C to −20.0°C. Two months later, these ice balls were cemented together by fine interstitial ice crystals, indicating the formation of an ice cement between ice balls. These results suggest that ice ball experiments can be used to model the processes of clastic lithification by pressure solution and interstitial cementation, thus providing a better understanding of the consolidation of sands.