A bizarre #sedimentary feature

Some layers in the #Neoproterozoic #Squantum Member of the #Roxbury #Conglomerate have been rolled up like a pie crust, into a tube. If this were a #tillite, as it once was thought to be, then it could have been caused by the drag of a #Gaskiers #glacier over the till. These rocks are mostly interpreted as deposited by submarine debris flows these days, in which case they could’ve been deformed during a slump and flow. Site of a field trip for #UMassBoston.

A small #outcrop of the #Squantum Member of the #Roxbury #Conglomerate

These #rocks are in the #BostonBay Group, which is currently dated to #Neoproterozoic. The Squantum Member was interpreted as a #tillite, possibly associated with the #Gaskiers #glaciation, although there a scant signs like scratched pebbles or faceted cobbles. It is currently commonly interpreted as a #debrite (debris flow). Details in captions.
#geology #glacier #turbidite #Quincy #Boston #Massachusetts #NewEngland

Rapid changes in #clast size in #sedimentary #rocks

The #Neoproterozoic #Squantum Member of the #Roxbury Conglomerate (#Boston Bay Group) transitions from sandstone, to almost-clast-supported conglomerate, to laminated argillite…in about 25 cm. Fifty years ago, it was interpreted as a #glacial deposit and called the Squantum #Tillite, presumably associated with the #Gaskiers Glaciation. Paucity of evidence (e.g., few scratches or faceted clasts) suggests a debris flow. My #photo.