depositional
Laying down material
Depositional describes processes or environments where material accumulates and settles rather than eroding away.
The term belongs primarily to geology: a depositional environment is where sediments collect—river deltas, lake beds, ocean floors.
The depositional history of the region spans millions of years.
The word contrasts with erosional, which describes wearing away rather than building up.
Formed from deposited material
- fluvialRelating to rivers
- marineRelating to the sea
- aeolianCaused by moving air
- glacialOf frozen rivers
colluvial · clastic · biochemical · biogenic · carbonate · evaporite · stratigraphy · facies
Water-deposited loose sediment
- siltWaterborne earth particles
- clayMoldable earth for ceramics
- sandFine rock particles
- gravelLoose small rock fragments
loess · sediment · mudstone · sandstone · shale · marl · till · debris
Particles settling in liquid
- accretionGrowth through external addition
- compactionReducing volume through pressure
- cementationMineral-binding of particles
- settlingReaching resolution or rest
precipitation · sorting · grading · infilling · burial · consolidation · subsidence · transport
Division into distinct levels
- beddingMaterials covering a mattress
- laminationsLayered sheet bonding
- laminaeThin flat layers
- superpositionCoexisting in multiple states
banding · cross-bedding · sequences · horizons · unconformity
sedimentary
Formed from deposited material
glacial · colluvial · clastic · biochemical · biogenic · carbonate · evaporite · stratigraphy · facies · basin
alluvium
Water-deposited loose sediment
gravel · loess · sediment · mudstone · sandstone · shale · marl · till · debris · detritus
sedimentation
Particles settling in liquid
- accretionGrowth through external addition
- compactionReducing volume through pressure
- cementationMineral-binding of particles
settling · precipitation · sorting · grading · infilling · burial · consolidation · subsidence · transport · accumulation
stratification
Division into distinct levels
- beddingMaterials covering a mattress
- laminationsLayered sheet bonding
- laminaeThin flat layers
superposition · banding · cross-bedding · sequences · horizons · unconformity
depositionalerosional
Caused by gradual wearing
erosive · weathering · scouring · corrosive · subtractive
- thin film depositionApplying ultra-thin material layers