Sedimentary Rocks - Environments

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to sedimentary rocks and their environments as discussed in the lecture.

Clastic Sedimentary Rock

Rocks formed from the accumulation and cementation of clasts or fragments of pre-existing rocks.

Energy of Transport

The energy required to move sediment particles, which influences their size and sorting in sedimentary environments.

Alluvial Fan

A landform created by the deposition of sediment from a river as it flows out of a mountainous area.

Breccia

A clastic sedimentary rock composed of angular clasts that are poorly sorted.

Conglomerate

A coarse-grained clastic sedimentary rock formed from rounded clasts that were cemented together.

Eolian Environment

A sedimentary environment characterized by wind action, often resulting in the formation of dunes.

Limestone

A chemical sedimentary rock primarily composed of calcite, formed from marine organisms or direct precipitation.

Evaporites

Sedimentary rocks formed from the evaporation of water, often leaving behind salts like halite and gypsum.

Granule

A clastic sediment particle with a size range generally between 2-4 mm.

Sorting

The distribution of particle sizes in a sedimentary rock, indicating the energy conditions of deposition.

Angularity

The degree of sharpness of the edges of clasts in a sedimentary rock, indicating transportation distance.

Siltstone

A fine-grained sedimentary rock composed predominantly of silt-sized particles.

Shale

A fine-grained sedimentary rock formed from clay particles, usually characterized by its thin layers.

Marine Environment

Sedimentary environments located in or near ocean water, often associated with low energy conditions.

Chemical Sedimentary Rock

Rocks formed from the precipitation of minerals from solution, often found in marine environments.