Environmental Interpretation of Sand Grain Surface Textures by Electron Microscopy
More than 4000 quartz sand grain surfaces have been examined by electron micro scopy, and it has been established that specific differences exist depending on the environment of transportation and deposition. Littoral, aeolian, glacial, diagenetic, and combinations of these four environments can be distinguished; river transport and turbidity current movement do not impress characteristic surface textures on quartz sand grains.