Talk:Basement (geology)

Merger proposal

Per this thread, since both Basement rock and Basement (geology) cover the same subject, with "Basement (geology)" being the more desirable name, I'm proposing that this article (basement rock) be merged with Basement (geology). —Preceding unsigned comment added by The Parting Glass (talk • contribs) 15:41, 7 February 2009

Agree with merge, don't need the duplication - and Basement (geology) would be more in line with others such as Fold (geology). Vsmith (talk) 20:06, 7 February 2009 (UTC)

Merge' - obviously the same subject! Graeme Bartlett (talk) 21:11, 7 February 2009 (UTC)

I agree with the merge. I originally created the basement rock article. If you look at the history, the basement rock article is the older article and was established in 2005. I did a search to make sure there were no duplicates. The basement (geology) article was added in 2006. I suggest that the basement rock article (with its historical log) became the base of a merged article and any information not found in the basement rock article be merged in from the basement (geology) article. basement (geology) should be made to point to basement rock. The basement rock article was the first so it should get that privelege. Millueradfa (talk) 19:40, 2 September 2009 (UTC)

I agree with merging too, as creator of the basement (geology) article. The best name would imho be basement (geology), because "basement" is in "basement rock" only an adjective, not a property which sets this rock type apart from other rock types. Woodwalker (talk) 20:18, 2 September 2009 (UTC)

Made basement rock a redirect here. Didn't see much in that rambling essay to merge. I've requested refs for several statements in this article - seems the emphasis on the Variscan is a bit overdone ... basement in midwest US is typically Precambrian ... so that needs rewriting. Vsmith (talk) 21:33, 2 September 2009 (UTC)

Others would disagree. The basement rock article provided a reasonable amount of information and also provided the reader with some examples of the concept. It is a very well written article. So it explains the idea very well. As well, it was the first article. It was not my fault that someone else created a duplicate article. I did my research before i jumped the gun. It is better to use the original article as the base. At least the information not found in Basement (geology) will be added from Basement geology . Millueradfa (talk) 21:26, 3 September 2009 (UTC)

You are welcome to add content to the article either from the basement rock article or new content. Please use reliable sources for content you add. Vsmith (talk) 01:54, 4 September 2009 (UTC)

The manner in which you changed basement rock to redirect here without further discussion was not courteous and was improper. This certainly warrants further discussion. basement (geology) violated the rules as the creator of this article did not verify if another article had already existed. Millueradfa (talk) 18:47, 4 October 2009 (UTC)

This article is also full of uncited data, it is not of higher quality than the basement rock article. As I said before, a citationed version of basement rock should form the base of basement (geology). I see nothing in basement (geology) that indicates it is superior. Millueradfa (talk) 18:51, 4 October 2009 (UTC)

WP:POINT Woodwalker (talk) 20:16, 4 October 2009 (UTC)

Some bad faith here. I did a merge. Bhny (talk) 03:15, 5 January 2015 (UTC)

Definition

"In geology, basement and crystalline basement are the rocks below a sedimentary platform or cover, or more generally any rock below sedimentary rocks or sedimentary basins that are metamorphic or igneous in origin." From my understanding, basement also refers to the rocks upon which a volcano was constructed whether they are sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic. Volcanoguy 20:45, 23 January 2015 (UTC)

Your quote being the current lead sentence. Yes, that is problematic, including lack of a verifiable source. (And probably should be tagged.) And does suggest that rock is "basement" only if there is sedimenatary rock over it. It would be quite nice if someone would consult three or four text books on this, find the original article(s) where this term was defined or re-defined, and re-write the article. Could be a pleasant two or three day project, but I think I have only one text book at hand. Anyone else? ~ J. Johnson (JJ) (talk) 22:10, 23 January 2015 (UTC)

Some citations would certainly be helpful. One problem is that the term is used in several different ways by geologists, basement v. cover (mainly a mechanical distinction), crystalline basement (metamorphic/igneous v. sedimentary) and economic basement (the deeper stuff where you don't find what you're looking for - depends on what that is of course), which don't necessarily identify the same rock unit as the top of the basement. As pointed out by Volcanoguy, volcanic rocks can be cover or basement depending on the circumstances. Here are some definitions that I've found: Glossary of Geology, Petroleum Geology, Regional Geology and Tectonics: Principles of Geologic Analysis, Geology and Environment in Britain and Ireland, Page 21, Nontechnical Guide to Petroleum Geology, Exploration, Drilling, and Production. Mikenorton (talk) 12:10, 24 January 2015 (UTC)

Here is a quote taken from a NRC Research Press paper: "Basement rocks, exposed in the centre of the shield, are composed of deformed late Mesozoic andesite to dacite lava flows and volcaniclastic sediments." In this sense a shield volcano is the cover and andesite to dacite lava flows and volcaniclastic sediments are the basement. So basement is definitely used to refer to rocks under volcanic edifices, not just sedimentary rocks. Volcanoguy 19:55, 24 January 2015 (UTC)

I was agreeing with you that sometimes volcanic edifices sit on what is described as basement, even if that consist of sedimentary rocks e.g. Etna, so we need to incorporate that usage in any update. Mikenorton (talk) 20:19, 24 January 2015 (UTC)

I know you agree, was just providing an example used in literature for support. Since sedimentary rocks can form basement in this usage, basement and crystalline basement are not synonymous given that sedimentary rocks are not crystalline. Volcanoguy 22:04, 24 January 2015 (UTC)