This article is about the type of sedimentary rock. For the work by Archimedes, see
The Sand Reckoner.
Psammite (
Greek: psammitēs "(made) from sand", from psammos "sand")[1] is a general term for
sandstone. It is equivalent to the Latin-derived term
arenite[2][3] and is commonly used in various publications to describe a
metamorphosedsedimentary rock with a dominantly sandstone
protolith.[4] In Europe, this term was formerly used for a fine-grained, fissile, clayey sandstone.[3]Pettijohn[5] gives the following descriptive terms based on grain size, avoiding the use of terms such as "clay" or "argillaceous", which carry an implication of chemical composition:
^U.S. Bureau of Mines Staff (1996) Dictionary of Mining, Mineral, & Related Terms. Report SP-96-1, U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Bureau of Mines, Washington, D.C.
^
abNeuendorf, 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, Washington, DC 779 pp.
^Tyrell, G. W. (1921) Some points in petrographic nomenclature. Geological Magazine. v. 58, no. 11, pp. 494–502.