sedimentary rock
Deposited, compacted formation
Sedimentary rock forms when particles of sand, mud, minerals, or organic matter settle in layers and compress over time.
Unlike igneous rock (from molten material) or metamite rock (transformed by heat and pressure), sedimentary rock preserves the history of its deposition—fossils, ripple marks, ancient riverbeds.
Limestone, sandstone, and shale are common examples.
Most of Earth's surface rock is sedimentary.
- limestoneCarbonate sedimentary rock
- shaleCompacted clay sediment
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- sandstoneCemented grain sediment
- conglomerateCorporation spanning many industries
fossil beds · fossil record · mudstone · travertine · carbonate · chalk · erosion · sedimentology · geological strata · petrified · ocean floor · river delta · calcite · flint · silt · riverbed · quarry · deposit
- geologybedrock, fault lines, faults, basalt, metamorphic rocks
- petroleumcrude oil, crude, petroleum, oil wells, oil fields
- rocksbasalt, granite, sandstone, marble, shale
- layered thingslasagna, cake, onion, layer cake, plywood
- American geologyGrand Canyon, Yellowstone, Rocky Mountains, Appalachians, Sierra Nevada
- geology termsfossils, schist, core sample, gneiss, strata
sedimentary rockigneous rock
Crystallized molten material
metamorphic rock · volcanic rock · lava rock · magma · lava