Rudstone Explained

Rudstone is a type of carbonate rock.

The Dunham classification (Dunham, 1962^[1]) did not consider grain size as a criterion for the description of carbonate lithologies. In an attempt to rectify this perceived deficiency, Embry & Klovan (1971^[2]) introduced the terms rudstone (grain supported) and floatstone (matrix supported) for coarse-grained allochthonous carbonates. Following a survey of the use of the Dunham classification, Lokier and Al Junaibi (2016)^[3] clarified the definition of a rudstone as "a carbonate-dominated rock where more than 10% of the volume is grains larger than 2 mm and these grains support the fabric of the rock."

References

1. Dunham, R.J. (1962) Classification of carbonate rocks according to depositional texture. In: Classification of Carbonate Rocks (Ed. W.E. Ham), Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol. Mem., 1, 108–121.
2. Embry, A.F. and Klovan, J.E. (1971) A Late Devonian reef tract on Northeastern Banks Island, NWT. Bull. Can. Pet. Geol., 19, 730–781.
3. Lokier. Stephen W.. Al Junaibi. Mariam. 2016-12-01. The petrographic description of carbonate facies: are we all speaking the same language?. Sedimentology. en. 63. 7. 1843–1885. 10.1111/sed.12293. 1365-3091. free.