Sedimentary Rock Detective Quiz

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What do graded bedding, cross-bedding, ripple marks, and mud cracks provide clues about?

The mineral composition of sedimentary rocks

The environment where sedimentary rocks formed (correct)

The age of sedimentary rocks

The temperature at which sedimentary rocks formed

What do sedimentary rocks preserve a record of?

History (correct)

Climate change

Volcanic activity

Biological evolution

How are sedimentary rocks formed?

By the compression and cementation of sediment grains (correct)

By the metamorphism of existing rocks

By the cooling and solidification of magma

Through volcanic eruptions

What is the term used to describe the layering found in sedimentary rock?

Stratification Signup and view all the answers

What does stratification literally mean?

The making of strata Signup and view all the answers

What are sedimentary rocks comprised of?

Bits of pre-existing rocks or minerals and sometimes organic material Signup and view all the answers

How can a rock detective determine the origin of sedimentary rocks?

By studying structures and composition of the rocks Signup and view all the answers

What does cross-bedding in sedimentary rocks indicate?

Deposition on a slope or an angle in environments such as a beach, river, or sand dunes Signup and view all the answers

What do ripple marks in sedimentary rocks suggest about the rock's origin?

Deposition in a stream bed, lake, or on a beach Signup and view all the answers

What can mud cracks in sedimentary rocks indicate about the rock's origin?

Deposition in environments that go through periods of wetting and drying, such as marshes, seasonal rivers, and lake shores Signup and view all the answers

What do rounded sediment grains in sedimentary rocks suggest about the sediment's transportation?

Arrival via water, which rolled and tumbled the particles, causing the edges to smooth Signup and view all the answers

What does graded bedding in sedimentary rocks indicate about the sediment deposit?

Detectable sorting of grain size from bottom to top, indicating a current of water loaded with sediment that rushed into place Signup and view all the answers

What can the varying colors of layers in sedimentary rocks tell you about the rock?

The sediments within those different colored layers contain different minerals and originated from different rocks or different locations Signup and view all the answers

What does the presence of ripple marks and mud cracks in sedimentary rocks indicate about the rock's environment?

Periods of wetting and drying, such as marshes, seasonal rivers, and lake shores Signup and view all the answers

What kind of sedimentary environment would likely produce cross-bedding and ripple marks in the rock?

Beach, river, or sand dunes Signup and view all the answers

What can the varying colors in sedimentary rock layers tell you?

The sediments within different colored layers contain different minerals and originated from different rocks or locations Signup and view all the answers

What does the presence of rounded grains in sedimentary rock imply?

The sediment arrived in its final resting place via water Signup and view all the answers

What does graded bedding in sedimentary rocks indicate?

A detectable sorting of grain size from bottom to top, suggesting a current of water loaded with sediment rushed into place Signup and view all the answers

What does cross-bedding in sedimentary rocks reveal about their origin?

The rocks originated in an environment such as a beach, river, or sand dunes Signup and view all the answers

What do ripple marks in sedimentary rocks indicate?

The rock originated in a stream bed, lake, or on a beach Signup and view all the answers

What do mud cracks in sedimentary rocks suggest about their origin?

The sediments were deposited in an environment that went through periods of wetting and drying Signup and view all the answers

What can the shape of different sediment grains provide clues about?

The mode of transportation and deposition of the sediments Signup and view all the answers

What can the patterns by which sediments deposit reveal?

Information about the environment and processes involved in the formation of the rocks Signup and view all the answers