Chapter 5 E1 Flashcards
sediments are produced on the Earth’s surface as a result of
weathering
sediments are transported and become sedimentary rocks after
they come to rest
six steps of the sedimentary process
- weathering 2. erosion 3. transportation 4. deposition 5. burial 6. diagenesis
weathering
breaks down rocks physically and chemically
erosion
carries away particles produced by weathering
transportation
via streams, glaciers, and wind moves particles downhill
deposition (or sedimentation)
when particles settle out or dissolved minerals precipitate
burial
layers of sediment accumulate and compact previous layers
diagenesis
lithifies the sediment to make sedimentary rocks
economic importance of sedimentary rocks
coal, petroleum and natural gas, sources of iron and aluminum
two types of sedimentary rocks
detrital or siliciclastic
chemical and biochemical
material is solid particles, classified by particle size,
detrital rocks or siliciclastic
common detrital rocks
shale (most abundant), sandstone, and conglomerate
derived from material that was once in solution and precipitates to form sediment
chemical or biochemical rocks
common chemical or biochemical sedimentary rocks
limestone, evaporites (salt and gypsum), coal, microcrystalline quartz (chert, flint, etc.)
lithification
loose sediments are transformed into solid rock
the lithification processes
compaction and cementation by calcite, silica, or iron oxide
the sorting of sediments can indicate
how far the rock has been transported; well sorted has traveled far; poorly sorted not far
_____ during transportation makes rock particles smaller and more rounded the longer they travel
abrasion
squeezes out water by burial as part of the lithification process
compaction
precipitation or addition of new minerals cements sediment particles
cementation
used for matching rocks from different places and as time indicators
fossils
limestone is formed from
calcite
most limestone is produced in
a shallow ocean environment
