Sedimentary Rocks Flashcards
(28 cards)
Are sedimentary rocks the majority the earth’s crust
About 1% of the Earth’s crust are sedimentary rocks
Are sedimentary rocks the majority of the earth’s surface
At least 75% of surface rocks are sedimentary rocks
What is the majority of the crust’s rocks
Igneous rocks
Are sedimentary rocks the majority the earth’s crust
1% of the Earth’s crust is sedimentary rocks
Pros about sedimentary rocks
Shows history of the area - like can we infer biomes
What is weathering
Breaking down rocks
What is deposition
When an agent of erosion – water, wind, or gravity – loses energy, it drops the sediments.
What is erosion
Erosion involves weathering and the removal of
rock.
Sediments are sorted via?
Heavier sediments drop off earlier, and smaller sediments drop off later - in the ocean
What is diagenesis
the physical and chemical changes occurring during the conversion of sediment to sedimentary rock.
What is Lithification
Lithification refers to complex physical, chemical, or biological processes whereby unconsolidated material (e.g., sand, silt, and mud) becomes converted to solid rock (e.g., sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone)
What is the diff. between lithification and diagenesis
What are the main components of sedimentary rock
Matrix, grain (angular or round), pores, and cement.
Types of sedimentary rocks
clastic/detrital, organic/bioclastic, and crystalline/chemical.
Sedimentary rock layers record?
A period of time
Which, top or bottom, is older
bottom
Which, top or bottom, is younger
top
Eolian Environment
grains of uniform size “well sorted”
Coastal Environment
grains coarser and of mixed size
Stream Environment
grains much coarser and “poorly sorted”
Glacial Environment
grains very coarse with no sorting, but usually rounded
Landslide Environment
grains very coarse with no sorting, with no rounding
Marsh/Mudflat Environment
grains very fine
Evaporite environment
chemical sediments
