Which sediment type is characterized by a wide range of grain sizes due to poor sorting?

Which sediment type is characterized by a wide range of grain sizes due to poor sorting?

• A. Nodule
• B. Poorly Sorted Sediment
• C. Sand
• D. Radiolarian

Answer: (B)

Grain-size sorting is about how uniform the particle sizes are in a sediment. When a deposit has a wide range of grain sizes—from clay up to gravel—it indicates the particles were not separated by energy during deposition, so the sediment is poorly sorted. This chaotic mixing is what creates a broad distribution of sizes in the same layer. A nodule is a concretion with varied composition, not a texture description. Sand refers to a single grain size, not a range. Radiolarians are microscopic fossils, not a description of sorting. So the description fits poorly sorted sediment—the one that shows a broad mix of grain sizes.

Grain-size sorting is about how uniform the particle sizes are in a sediment. When a deposit has a wide range of grain sizes—from clay up to gravel—it indicates the particles were not separated by energy during deposition, so the sediment is poorly sorted. This chaotic mixing is what creates a broad distribution of sizes in the same layer. A nodule is a concretion with varied composition, not a texture description. Sand refers to a single grain size, not a range. Radiolarians are microscopic fossils, not a description of sorting. So the description fits poorly sorted sediment—the one that shows a broad mix of grain sizes.