sedimentology
Studying layered earth
Sedimentology is the branch of geology that studies sediments—particles of rock, mineral, and organic matter deposited by water, wind, or ice.
Sedimentologists examine how sediments form, transport, and accumulate, reading ancient environments from rock layers: The sedimentology of the region suggests it was once a shallow sea.
Materials covering a mattress
- laminationBonding sheets together
- stratificationDivision into distinct levels
- outcropSurfacing native stone
- formationCreation or arrangement
sequence · member · horizon · superposition · facies · cross-bedding · unconformity · disconformity
Surface tactile quality
- provenanceRecord of ownership
- carbonateAdd dissolved gas
- mineralogyScience of inorganic solids
- geochemistryEarth's chemical makeup science
petrology · sorting · roundness · sphericity · porosity · permeability · thin section
Shallow surface wound
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
- scourClean by hard rubbing
- deflationSustained decrease in prices
- gullyingForming erosion channels
rill · runoff · bank erosion · detritus · channel migration · denudation · cavitation · undercutting
Relating to rivers
- marineRelating to the sea
- deltaicOf river-mouth landforms
- aeolianCaused by moving air
- coastalOf the shoreline
shelf · deep-sea · estuarine · tidal · alluvial fan · reef · lagoon · continental
Water-deposited loose sediment
- siltationAccumulation of fine waterborne particles
- accretionGrowth through external addition
- settlingReaching resolution or rest
- deltaSymbol denoting variation
lamination · floodplain · outwash · drift · overbank · loess · till · moraine
Preserved ancient organism traces
- trace fossilsPreserved signs of activity
- brachiopodsStalked marine filter feeders
- microfossilsMinute preserved organism remains
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
bedding
Materials covering a mattress
- laminationBonding sheets together
- stratificationDivision into distinct levels
- outcropSurfacing native stone
formation · sequence · member · horizon · superposition · facies · cross-bedding · unconformity · disconformity · correlation
texture
Surface tactile quality
- provenanceRecord of ownership
- carbonateAdd dissolved gas
- mineralogyScience of inorganic solids
geochemistry · petrology · sorting · roundness · sphericity · porosity · permeability · thin section
abrasion
Shallow surface wound
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
- scourClean by hard rubbing
- deflationSustained decrease in prices
gullying · rill · runoff · bank erosion · detritus · channel migration · denudation · cavitation · undercutting · slumping
fluvial
Relating to rivers
coastal · shelf · deep-sea · estuarine · tidal · alluvial fan · reef · lagoon · continental · glacial
alluvium
Water-deposited loose sediment
- siltationAccumulation of fine waterborne particles
- accretionGrowth through external addition
- settlingReaching resolution or rest
delta · lamination · floodplain · outwash · drift · overbank · loess · till · moraine · aeolian
fossils
Preserved ancient organism traces
- trace fossilsPreserved signs of activity
- brachiopodsStalked marine filter feeders
- microfossilsMinute preserved organism remains