sediment layers
Accumulated geological beds
Sediment layers are the horizontal bands of material—sand, silt, clay, organic matter—that accumulate over time in bodies of water or other depositional environments.
Each layer represents a distinct period, with older deposits beneath newer ones.
Geologists read these strata like pages in a book, extracting information about ancient climates, ecosystems, and events: The sediment layers revealed a massive flood around 3000 BCE.
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- erosionGradual wearing away
- depositionFormal testimony under oath
- geologyStudy of Earth's composition
- river deltaAlluvial deposit at mouth
unconformity · compaction · stratification · tree rings · sedimentology · geological time · facies · cross-bedding · ice cores · paleontology · radiometric dating · fossil record · riverbeds · lake bed · silt · sand · clay · volcanic ash
- geologybedrock, fault lines, faults, rock, basalt
- archaeologyexcavation, dig site, archaeologist, dig, archaeological digs
- Earth historyice age, geological time, extinction, eons, fossil
- Aboriginal Prehistorystone tools, boomerangs, didgeridoo, spears, rock shelters
- cross sectionsbread slice, cake slice, fruit slice, orange slice, tree rings
- environmental dataair quality index, climate data, carbon dioxide level, ozone level, weather data
sediment layersmagma chambers
Subsurface molten rock reservoirs
plutons · igneous rock · molten rock · magma · sills