Sedimentary Rocks Formation Processes

• 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.

Explore the unique characteristics and formation processes of sedimentary rocks, which make up a significant portion of the Earth's surface. Learn about the key steps involved in the creation of sedimentary rocks and how they preserve a historical record of past environments through fossils.