Lab 6 Flashcards
Clastic Sedimentary Rock
Sedimentary rock that forms when physical fragments of preexisting rocks (clasts) are compacted or cemented together.
Physical Weathering
The mechanical breakdown of rocks and minerals
Chemical Weathering
The process that breaks down rock through chemical changes (which chemically decompose the rock)
Weathering
The initial break down of rocks by chemical and physical processes into sediments
Erosion
Removal of the products of weathering (sediment) by wind, water and/or gravity from their site of origin
Transportation
Long-distance movement of sediments mostly by water, but also by wind or glaciers
Burial
The process by which sediments are buried due to the deposition of later sediments
Deposition
Process by which chemical and/or physical sediment precipitate or settle out of water/wind/glaciers
Diagenesis
The physical and chemical changes occurring during the conversion of sediment to sedimentary rock (compaction and cementation) due to increased temperature and pressure. Also known as lithification
Lithification
The process that converts sediments into solid rock by compaction or cementation. Also known as diagenesis
6 steps that create sedimentary rocks (in order)
Weathering
Erosion
Transportation
Deposition
Burial
Lithification (diagnesis)
Chemical Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary rock consisting of material that was precipitated from water by either inorganic or organic means
Evaporite
A sedimentary rock formed of material precipitated from solution as water evaporates
Biological Sedimentary Rocks
A sedimentary rock that forms from the remains of organisms
(Bio)chemical Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary rock formed in one of two ways
1. Dissolved minerals precipitate out of water (when the water becomes over-saturated in a specific mineral)
2. Sedimentary rock formed from sediments derived from biological processes
Limestone
(Bio)chemical sedimentary rock, composed mainly of calcium carbonate or dolomite, the most common biochemical sedimentary rock. Reacts with HCl (hydrochloric acid).
Coal
A combustible black or dark brown sedimentary rock consisting mainly of carbonized plant matter, found mainly in underground deposits and widely used as fuel.
What happens to physical clasts as they are transported?
Two things happen to physical sediments as they are transported.
1. They change shape due to abrasion (they become smaller and more rounded)
2. They become well-sorted.
Three types of sedimentary environments are
Continental (terrestrial)
Shoreline (transitional)
Marine
Sedimentary Environments
Place where a sedimentary rock is formed, really what it means is where the sediments are deposited, then buried, and finally lithified
Where does limestone form?
Reef environments (far out on the continental shelf in tropical areas)
Where does sandstone form?
On the beach
Where does mudstone form?
Abyssal place
Where do the evaporites gypsum and halite form?
In a desert lake environment where there is lots of evaporation