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Chapter 6 Vocab ES
Term | Definition |
---|---|
sediment | small pieces of rock that are moved and deposited by water wind glaciers and gravity. |
lithification | the physical and chemical process that transform sedimentary rocks. |
cementation | process of sedimentary rock formation that occurs when dissolved minerals precipitate out of groundwater and either a new mineral grows between the sediment grains or the same mineral grows between and over the grains. |
bedding | horizontal layering in sedimentary rock that can range from a few millimeters to several meters thick. |
graded bedding | type of bedding in which particle sizes become progressively heavier and coarser toward the bottom layers. |
cross-bedding | depositional feature of sedimentary rock that forms as inclined layers of sediment are carried forward across a horizontal surface. |
clastic sedimentary rock | most common type of sedimentary rock formed form the abundant deposits of loose sediments that accumulate on Earth's surface classified according to the size of their particles. |
clastic | rock and mineral fragments produced by weathering and erosion and classified according to particle size and shape. |
porosity | percentage of open spaces between grains in a material. |
evaporite | The layers of chemical sedimentary rocks that form when concentrations of dissolved minerals in a body of water reach saturation due to the evaporation of water crystal grains precipitate out of solution and settle to the bottom. |
foliated | Metamorphic rock such as schist or gneiss whose minerals are squeezed under high pressure and arranged in wavy layers and bands. |
nonfoliated | metamorphic rocks like quartzite and marble composed mainly of minerals that form with blocky crystal shapes. |
regional metamorphism | process that affects large areas of Earth's crust producing belts classified as low medium or high grade depending on pressure on the rocks temperature and depth below the surface. |
contact metamorphism | local affect that occurs when molten rock meets solid rock. |
hydrothermal metamorphism | occurs when very hot water reacts with rocks altering its mineralogy and chemistry. |
rock cycle | Continuous dynamic set of processes by which rocks are changed into other types of rock. |