The Grand Canyon layers 8Sedimentary rocks form from

The Grand Canyon

layers

• 8)Sedimentary rocks form from cementation and compaction. Sedimentary rocks form over time by: – Compaction (pressure) – Cementation (water causing small rock particles to stick together)

• 9) Sedimentary rocks are formed by the ongoing deposition of rocks and other sediments that are cemented together.

• 10) Usually after burial, deposited sediment undergoes lithification • The processes that turn it into a rock is called LITHIFICATION

What is lithification?

• 11) Lithification includes cementation and compaction.

• 12) Coal is a black, sedimentary rock that is formed from cementation and compaction • Coal- is made from remains of plants – Began forming millions of years ago – Weight of sediments above pressed it into coal

Coal Mining

• 13) Limestone, shale, and sandstone are all examples of sedimentary rock. Limestone Sandstone Shale

Forming and Transporting Rock Particles • Sediments can be large or small • They break away by wind or water (erosion)

• 14) Sediment from weathered rock is transported and deposited elsewhere such as at the beach, or in a delta, or in the deep sea.

Sediment at the Beach

• 15) Sedimentary rocks are the most abundant rock on Earth’s Surface.

There is a lot to learn from sedimentary rocks

…plants and shells Limestone - shells and skeletons of ocean organisms • from carbonate materials like calcite Example: White Cliffs of Dover—began forming from shells and skeletons of dead ocean organisms (see picture on next slide) • coral reefs consist of limestone from dead organisms