# Maturity (sedimentology)

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In [sedimentary geology](/source/Sedimentary_geology), **maturity** describes the composition and texture of grains in [clastic rocks](/source/Clastic_rock), most typically [sandstones](/source/Sandstone), resulting from different amounts of [sediment transportation](/source/Sediment_transport). A sediment is mature when the grains in a sediment become [well-sorted](/source/Sorting_(sediment)) and [well-rounded](/source/Rounding_(sediment)) due to [weathering](/source/Weathering) or abrasion of the grains during transport. There are two components to describe maturity, *texture* and *composition*. [Texture](/source/Texture_(geology)) describes how rounded and sorted the sample is while composition describes how much the composition trends toward stable [minerals](/source/Mineral) and components (often [quartz](/source/Quartz)).

A mature sediment is more uniform in appearance, for the sediment grains are well rounded, are of a similar size and exhibit little compositional variation. Conversely, an immature sediment contains more angular grains, diverse grain sizes, and is compositionally diverse.[1]

As the sediment is transported, the unstable minerals are abraded or dissolved to leave more stable minerals, such as [quartz](/source/Quartz). Mature sediments, which contain stable minerals, generally have a smaller variety of minerals than immature sediments, which can contain both stable and unstable minerals. One measure of this maturity is the [ZTR index](/source/ZTR_index) which is a measure of the common resistant minerals found in ultra-weathered sediments: [zircon](/source/Zircon), [tourmaline](/source/Tourmaline), and [rutile](/source/Rutile).

A sediment sample from the lower (downstream) portions of a stream is likely to be more mature than one found upstream, since the original sediment has been subject to more abrasion as it travels downstream.

## See also

- [Maturity (geology)](/source/Maturity_(geology))

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Boggs2006_1-0)** Boggs Jr., S. (2006). *Sedimentology and Stratigraphy*. Pearson Education. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-13-154728-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-13-154728-3).

[https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/sepm/jsedres/article-abstract/38/4/1326/96178](https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/sepm/jsedres/article-abstract/38/4/1326/96178) [Basu, A. (1985). Reading provenance from detrital quartz. In Provenance of arenites (pp. 231-247). Springer, Dordrecht.](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Basu,_A._(1985)._Reading_provenance_from_detrital_quartz._In_Provenance_of_arenites_(pp._231-247)._Springer,_Dordrecht.&action=edit&redlink=1)

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