sandstone - yellow-brown medium-grained non-marine Miocene sandstone - Unit of 5 student specimens

This sandstone is Miocene in age, is moderately lithified, and is a member of the Ridge Route Formation  The Ridge Basin is characterized by a variety of depositional environments. A closed or semi-closed basin during the Miocene and Pliocene, it exhibits shallow fresh-water lacustrine deposits such as lagoonal and shoreline deposits and bar complexes, as well as deep fresh-water turbidites and various types of sediment gravity flows. This sandstone was deposited in a delta or deltaic plain.

The field photo shows interbedded sandstone, shale and siltstone in an outcrop of the Ridge Route formation. Notice the sandstone is resistant to weathering and forms a prominent ledge. In arid areas, sandstones are cliff-formers. Below the yellow brown sandstone the shale forms a slope, with gray siltstone forming a number of small ledges below.

The sand grains in these specimens are medium-grained and when rubbed off onto a sheet of paper, will look like sand to a student. It would be instructive to compare this sandstone with one is larger grained, with one that is cemented with calcium carbonate, and with different colored sandstones, as sandstone has great variety and a student should not see only one example.

Shipping: By Priority Mail or USPS Ground Advantage, whichever is cheaper, unless we find a better rate. Click > here < for shipping rates. Use back button to return to this page.

Making multiple purchases? Click on the "combine shipping" button in the shopping cart. We'll send an invoice with combined shipping. A link in that invoice will bring you back to checkout, no hassle.