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Questions and Answers
What are the three general classifications of rocks?
What are the three general classifications of rocks?
Which type of rocks make up about three-quarters of all rocks on Earth's surface?
Which type of rocks make up about three-quarters of all rocks on Earth's surface?
What is the main characteristic that makes sedimentary rocks unique compared to the other rock types?
What is the main characteristic that makes sedimentary rocks unique compared to the other rock types?
Which of the following is NOT a component that can be found in sedimentary rocks?
Which of the following is NOT a component that can be found in sedimentary rocks?
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During which process do sedimentary rocks experience the settling of clasts on a surface?
During which process do sedimentary rocks experience the settling of clasts on a surface?
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What is the process by which layers of rocks compress closer together called?
What is the process by which layers of rocks compress closer together called?
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Which of the following processes involves the breaking apart of larger rocks?
Which of the following processes involves the breaking apart of larger rocks?
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What is the main characteristic that makes sedimentary rocks unique compared to metamorphic and igneous rocks?
What is the main characteristic that makes sedimentary rocks unique compared to metamorphic and igneous rocks?
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Which process involves the movement of rock pieces?
Which process involves the movement of rock pieces?
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What is the term for the breaking apart of larger rocks?
What is the term for the breaking apart of larger rocks?
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Which type of rocks are often formed from pieces or chunks of other rocks known as clasts?
Which type of rocks are often formed from pieces or chunks of other rocks known as clasts?
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What is the final step in the formation of sedimentary rocks?
What is the final step in the formation of sedimentary rocks?
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Which step involves the settling of clasts on a surface?
Which step involves the settling of clasts on a surface?
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Why do sedimentary rocks contain a historic record of the environment?
Why do sedimentary rocks contain a historic record of the environment?
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Study Notes
- There are three general classifications of rocks: sedimentary rocks, metamorphic rocks, and igneous rocks, each with unique characteristics and formation processes.
- Sedimentary rocks make up about three-quarters of all rocks on Earth's surface and are the only rocks that contain fossils, preserving a historic record of the environment at the time of their formation.
- Sedimentary rocks are often formed from pieces or chunks of other rocks, referred to as clasts, which can vary in size and composition including mineral crystals and organic materials like bones, skeletons, shells, or plants.
- Sedimentary rocks form through five basic steps: weathering, erosion, deposition, compaction, and lithification, with weathering being the breaking apart of larger rocks, erosion as the movement of rock pieces, deposition as the settling of clasts on a surface, compaction as the layers of rocks compress closer together, and lithification as the cementing of rock pieces together by minerals dissolved in water.
- The five processes required to make any sedimentary rock are weathering, erosion, deposition, compaction, and lithification.
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Description
Discover the unique characteristics and formation processes of sedimentary rocks, including the role of clasts and fossils. Learn about the five basic steps involved in the formation of sedimentary rocks.
