sandführende

Sandführende is a German term used in geology, sedimentology and related disciplines to describe sediments, layers, or horizons in which sand is the dominant or defining component. The word is formed from Sand (sand) and führend (leading, dominant). As a modifier, sandführende describes a deposit or facies characterized by a substantial presence of sand, typically contrasting with silt- or clay-rich units or with gravel-rich facies.

In practice, sandführende horizons occur in a variety of environments where sand is transported and deposited, such as rivers and floodplains (channel sands), deserts and dune fields (aeolian sands), and shoreface or coastal settings (beach and nearshore sands). The term is most often encountered in stratigraphic descriptions, where it helps distinguish sand-dominated facies within an overall sequence.

Importance: identifying sandführende facies supports interpretations of sediment transport and depositional processes, and informs resource assessments, such as groundwater aquifers and petroleum reservoirs, where sand-rich layers often provide higher porosity and permeability. The term is primarily used in German-language literature; in English texts, equivalents are usually 'sand-rich' or 'sand-dominated'.

Limitations: because the term is not universally standardized, its exact meaning may vary between authors or regions. Readers should interpret sandführende as a descriptive label for sand-rich facies rather than a fixed lithological unit.