Sedimentary Rocks

This set of flashcards covers key concepts and vocabulary related to sedimentary rocks, including their formation, types, characteristics, and identification.

Sedimentary Rock

Rock formed from the lithification or crystallization of minerals in solution, organic remains, or clastic sediments.

Lithification

The process of hardening and forming rock through deposition, compaction, and cementation.

Crystallization

The process by which mineral sediments in solution solidify, either by evaporation or chemical reaction.

Clastic Sedimentary Rock

Rocks made of fragments of other rocks.

Chemical Sedimentary Rock

Rocks formed from dissolved minerals precipitating out of solution.

Biochemical Sedimentary Rock

Rocks made by living things, not alive themselves, like seashells.

Organic Sedimentary Rock

Rocks composed of the organic remains of living plants and animals.

Weathering

The break-up of rock caused by exposure to processes that occur on Earth's surface.

Erosion

The process of transporting sediments from their source to a location of deposition.

Transport Agents

Elements such as wind, water, glaciers, ice, and volcanic eruptions that move sediments.

Compaction

The process where sediments are squeezed together under pressure.

Cementation

The process by which dissolved minerals crystallize and glue sediments together.

Breccia

A clastic rock formed from jagged, angular clastic sediments.

Conglomerate

A clastic rock formed from rounded clastic sediments.

Sorted Sediments

Sediments that are classified based on size, can be poorly or well sorted.

Evaporites

Sedimentary rocks formed by the evaporation of water that carries dissolved minerals.

Fossilized Mudcracks

Geologically valuable structures indicating periods of extensive dryness.

Ripple Marks

Patterns created in sediment by the movement of water, often found in beach or stream environments.

Molds and Casts

Molds are holes left in rock; casts are minerals that fill a mold to create a fossil.