Quartz surface microtextures and grain-size characteristics of Quaternary sediments in the Porcupine Strand area of coastal Labrador, Newfoundland, Canada

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences
• Main Authors: Rogerson, R. J., Hudson, H. M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1983
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Newfoundland; Canada
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/e83-036; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/e83-036

Sand-sized quartz grains from five Quaternary environments on the coast of Labrador were scrutinized under a scanning electron microscope. Various surface textural characteristics defined in previous literature were noted and "counted" in a systematic fashion. Multivariate statistical analysis of the data reveals that certain groups of surface textures provide for significant environmental identification, but no single surface texture is unique to any one environment. Absolute recognition of a particular environment from the presence of "diagenetic" features on several grains is not recommended for areas such as this. Yet the statistical pattern of scores for some features results in a position of individual samples and groups similar to the patterns obtained from the analysis of grain-size distribution data. The glacial environment appears to be no harder to define than most others in this type of analysis.