Sedimentary Rocks and Earth's Layers

Flashcards based on lecture notes about sedimentary rocks and earth's layers.

Clastic Sedimentary Rocks

Rocks composed of broken pieces or clasts of older, weathered, and eroded rocks.

Deposition

The laying down of sediment carried by wind, flowing water, the sea, or ice.

Erosion

Process in which earthen materials are worn away by natural processes such as rain and wind.

Biologic Sedimentary Rocks

Rocks formed when the remains of living organisms pile up and are compressed.

Chemical Sedimentary Rocks

Rocks made when isolated seas dry up, concentrating minerals that precipitate out of solution.

Core

The dense center layer of Earth.

Crust

The outermost layer of Earth.

Lithosphere

Outermost shell of the Earth, consisting of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle.

Mantle

Mostly solid part in the Earth’s interior, between the core and the crust.

Metamorphic

Relating to rocks that have been transformed by heat, pressure, or other natural forces.

Organic Sedimentary Rocks

Rocks made up of the accumulation of small, dust-sized shells on the sea floor.

Outer Core

The third layer of the Earth, which is the only liquid layer made up of metals.

Sedimentary Rocks

Rocks that are formed when rock particles created by weathering and erosion settle as sediments.

Sediments

Particulate matter that is carried by water or wind and deposited on the surface.

Upper Mantle

A thick layer of rock that begins below the crust.

Volcanic Rocks

Rocks formed when magma cools and solidifies.

Weathering

The process of wearing or being worn by long exposure to the atmosphere.

Plutonic

Igneous rocks formed by solidification of magma far below the surface of the earth.

Sediment Size Range

The range of particle sizes in sediments, from clay to boulders.

Limestone and shale

Examples of Sedimentary rocks