Calcisiltite is a type of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...

that is composed predominantly, more than 50 percent, of detrital (transported)

silt Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension with water. Silt usually has a floury feel wh ...

-size

carbonate A carbonate is a salt of carbonic acid (H2CO3), characterized by the presence of the carbonate ion, a polyatomic ion with the formula . The word ''carbonate'' may also refer to a carbonate ester, an organic compound containing the carbonat ...

grains. These grains consist either of the silt-size particles of ooids, fragments of fossil shells, fragments of older

s and dolomites, intraclasts, pellets, other carbonate grains, or some combination of these. Calcisiltite is the carbonate equivalent of a

siltstone Siltstone, also known as aleurolite, is a clastic sedimentary rock that is composed mostly of silt. It is a form of mudrock with a low clay mineral content, which can be distinguished from shale by its lack of fissility.Blatt ''et al.'' 1980, ...

.Neuendorf, K.K.E., J.P. Mehl, Jr., and J.A. Jackson, J.A., eds. (2005) ''Glossary of Geology'' (5th ed.). Alexandria, Virginia, American Geological Institute. 779 pp. Flügel, E. (2010) ''Microfacies of Carbonate Rocks'', 2nd ed. Springer-Verlag Berlin, Germany. 976 pp. Calcisiltites can accumulate in a wide variety of coastal,

lacustrine A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

, and marine environments. It is typically the product of abrasion and

bioerosion Bioerosion describes the breakdown of hard ocean substrates – and less often terrestrial substrates – by living organisms. Marine bioerosion can be caused by mollusks, polychaete worms, phoronids, sponges, crustaceans, echinoids, ...

.Scholle, P.A., D.G. Bebout, and C.H. Moore (1983) ''Carbonate Depositional Environments.'' Memoir no. 33. Tulsa, Oklahoma, American Association of Petroleum Geologists. 708 pp. The term calcisiltite was not an original part of the calcilutite,

calcarenite Calcarenite is a type of limestone that is composed predominantly, more than 50 percent, of detrital (transported) sand-size (0.0625 to 2 mm in diameter), carbonate grains. The grains consist of sand-size grains of either corals, shells, o ...

and calcirudite classification system for limestones, which GrabauGrabau, A.W. (1903) ''Paleozoic coral reefs.'' Geological Society of America Bulletin. vol. 14, pp. 337-352.Grabau, A.W. (1904) ''On the classification of sedimentary rocks.'' American Geologist. vol. 33, pp. 228-247. proposed in 1903. Instead, the term calcisiltite was created by KayKay, G.M. (1951) ''North American geosynclines.'' Memoir no. 48. Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America. 143 pp. in 1951 for limestone consisting predominantly of detrital silt-size, 0.062 to 0.002 mm, grains. As a result, calcisiltite is equivalent to the coarser part of "calcilutite" as it was originally proposed by Grabau and as calcilutite is normally defined and used by geologists. Calcisiltite is the carbonate equivalent of

.Folk, R.L., 1962, ''Spectral subdivision of limestone types.'' In Ham, W. E.. Classification of carbonate rocks. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Memoir. no. 1, pp. 62-84.

References

Limestone {{petrology-stub