- Any rocks that are made up of sediment (grains of other rocks) cemented together
- They are formed by:
- weathering, erosion, deposition (detrital sediments)
- Precipitation of minerals form solution (Chemical sediments)
- Compaction of plant and animal remains
- Sediment is transported by:
- Lithification - process of turning sediments into rock
- Sediments accumulate and become compacted by overlying weight
- Sediments are cemented by minerals
- Precipitate from pore fluids
- Sediment particle sizes
- Gravel >2 mm
- Sand 1/16-2 mm
- Silt 1/256 - 1/16 mm
- Clay < 1/256 mm
- Detrital sedimentary rocks
- Usually large grain sizes
- Can be well sorted or poorly sorted
- Well sorted example would be sandstones, poorly sorted would be like conglomerate
- Chemical sedimentary rocks
- Limestone varieties
- Evaporites and Chert