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6-1 Flash Cards
Formation of Sedimentary Rocks
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Sediments | Are small pieces of rock that are moved and deposited by water, wind, glaciers, and gravity. |
Weathering | Produces rock and mineral fragments known as sediments. |
Chemical Weathering | Occurs when the minerals in a rock are dissolved or otherwise chemically changed. |
Physical Weathering | The process that breaks rocks apart without changing their chemical composition. |
Erosion | The removal and transport of sediment. |
Deposition | When transported sediments are deposited on the ground or sink to the bottom of a body of water. |
Lithification | The physical and chemical processes that transform sediments into sedimentary rocks. |
Compaction | The weight of overlying sediments forces the sediment grains closer together, causing physical changes. |
Cementation | Occurs when mineral growth glues sediment grains together into solid rock. |
Bedding | The primary feature of sedimentary rocks is horizontal layering. |
Graded Bedding | Bedding in which the particle sizes become progressively heavier and coarser toward the bottom layers. |
Cross Bedding | Is formed as inclined layers of sediment are deposited across a horizontal surface. |
Ripple Marks | When sediment is moved into small ridges by wind or wave action or by a river current. |