SEDIMENTARY ROCKS are classified by the types of sediments that make up the rock
Sediments
What are sediments?
Def: small, solid pieces of material that come from rocks or other living things like
shells, bones, leaves, stems, etc
Processes
How sediments form into sedimentary rock: Write the steps in order w/descriptions
Erosion
(wash away)
Forces of running water, wind, or ice that loosen & carry away fragments of rock
Deposition
(drop down)
Sediments settle out of the water or wind carrying them & sink to the bottom of a
lake or ocean
Compaction
(smashed together)
Process that presses sediments together. Thick layers of sediment build up over time
& weigh down the layers compacting the sediments.
Cementation
(glued together)
Dissolved minerals seep into spaces between particles (sediments) & then crystallize
as they harden
Types
(Define each & give 1 example of each type)
Made from rock fragments that are squeezed together.
Clastic Sed. Rock
Ex: Shale - forms from tiny particles of clay
Sandstone – forms from sand on beaches, ocean floor, river beds etc
Conglomerate – from rounded sediments
Breccia – from larger, sharp fragments of sediments
Forms where the remains of plants & animals are deposited in thick layers
Organic Sed. Rock
Ex: Coal - forms from swamp plants buried in water for millions of years
Limestone - forms in the ocean from hard shells with calcite from seashells, coral,
clams & oysters or skeletons that pile up on the ocean floor for millions of years
slowly changing the sediment to limestone
Forms when minerals that are dissolved in a solution crystallize
Chemical Sed. Rock
Ex: Limestone - forms from calcite in dissolved seas, lakes & underground caves
Rock Salt - forms from halite by evaporation
Uses
What things have been made from sedimentary rocks?
Building Materials
And Tools:
Flint - Arrowheads
Sandstone - The White House
Limestone - used as blocks & slabs for buildings, making cement & steel
ALWAYS FOUND IN SEDIMENTARY ROCK!!!
FOSSILS