Sedimentary Rocks Vocab

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What are sediments?

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Small pieces of material that are the products of weathering.

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What is deposition?

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The process where Earth materials carried by wind, water, or ice settle out and are left in a location when energy levels decrease.

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What is a depositional environment?

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The specific place where sediments are deposited, such as a lake, river, or ocean bottom.

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What is compaction?

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The process where sediments are pressed together by the weight of layers on top of them.

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What is cementation?

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The process where sediments are held together by natural cements/glues like silica, calcite, or iron oxide.

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What is stratification?

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The arrangement of sedimentary rock in layers.

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What are fossils?

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The preserved hard parts of animals or plants found within rock layers.

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What are clastic sedimentary rocks?

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Rocks formed from grains or pieces of other rocks.

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What are chemical sedimentary rocks?

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Rocks formed from minerals left behind by the evaporation of water.

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What are biological/organic sedimentary rocks?

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Rocks formed from the remains of plants and animals (e.g., Coal).