Width of strata in stratigraphic column?

Question

I am trying to understand whether there is one "standard" meaning of the width of represented strata in stratigraphic columns, but I can find nothing online or in my geology books.I notice that, sometimes, under stratigraphic columns there can be legenda explaining how the width of the represented strata relates to the measure of the clasts of a conglomerate, but I have also found stratigraphic columns with no stratum of conglomerate or breccia where not all the strata are equally large.Is the width of strata usually an increasing function of the area occupied by the respective stratum? Can width represent other characteristics of the described stratum?

Answer 1

A stratigraphic column is constructed by drawing a vertical rectangle, the height of which is controlled by a linear scale ( feet or meters), and which reflects that actual measured thickness of the stratigraphic column of rock being portrayed. Either the left or right side of the vertical rectangle is used to indicate the relative hardness of the rocks depicted in the column, with the hardest being the most resistant and the closest to the full width of the column, while the softest is offset the most from that side of the column. Contacts between the rock layers are shown as erosion surfaces (unconformities) or normal bedding planes.The offsets of beds are used to indicate the relative hardness of the adjacent layers. Thus, the hardest extend closest to the border of the vertical rectangle while the softest are shown the farthest from the edge.An arbitrary amount of offset is established for each relative hardness.