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Hilliard Test 3
N/A
34
Geology
Undergraduate 1
04/06/2011

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Term
sedimentary rock
Definition
Rock that forms at or near the surface of the Earth by the cementing together of loose grains that had been produced by physical or chemical weathering of preexisting rock, by the precipitation of minerals from water solutions, by the cementing together of shells and shell fragments, or by the growth of masses of shell-producing organisms.
Term
Classes of sedimentary rocks
Definition
1. Clastic
2. Biochemical
3. Organic
4. Chemical
Term
Sandstone
Definition
Coarse-grained sedimentary rock consisting almost entirely of quartz.
Term
Erosion
Definition
The combination of processes that separate rock or regolith from its substrate and carry it away.
Term
Deposition
Definition
The process by which sediment settles out of the transporting material.
Term
Lithification
Definition
The transformation of loose sediment to solid rock.
Term
cementation
Definition
when minerals that precipitate from groundwater partially or completely fill the spaces between clasts and attaches each grain to its neighbor.
Term
Classifying clastic sedimentary rocks
Definition
1. Clast size
2. Clast composition
3. Angularity and sphericity
4. Sorting
5. Character of cement
Term
Clast size
Definition
The diameter of the clasts making up the rock.
Term
sorting
Definition
Degree to which the clasts in a rock are all the same size or include a variety of sizes.
Term
Character of cement
Definition
Some cement consists predominantly of quartz; some consists of predominantly of calcite.
Term
Breccia
Definition
Course sedimentary rock consisting of angular fragments; or rock broken into angular fragments by faulting.
Term
Conglomerate
Definition
Very coarse-grained sedimentary rock consisting of rounded clasts.
Term
Mudstone
Definition
Very fine-grained sedimentary rock that will not easily split into sheets
Term
Shale
Definition
mudstone
Term
Siltstone
Definition
Fine-grained sedimentary rock generally composed of very small quartz grains
Term
Arkose
Definition
a clastic sedimentary rock composed of sand-sized grains that include quarts and feldspar
Term
Chert
Definition
biochemical rock composed of cryptocrystalline quartz.
Term
Coal
Definition
Black, combustible rock consisting of over 50% carbon
Term
Volatiles
Definition
Elements or compounds that evaporate easily and can exist in gaseous forms at the Earth's surface Ex: hydrogen, water, carbon dioxide, and ammonia
Term
Chemical sedimentary rocks
Definition
Rocks formed primarily by the precipitation of minerals out of water solutions
Term
Travertine
Definition
Rock composed of crystalline calcium carbonate formed by chemical precipitation from groundwater that has seeped out at the ground surface either in hot- or cold-water springs, or on the walls of caves.
Term
Speleothems
Definition
Travertine built up in cave settings in beautiful and complex growth forms
Term
Sedimentary Structure
Definition
1. layering of sedimentary rocks
2. surface features on layers formed during deposition
3. arrangement of grains within layers
Term
Sedimentary Structure
Definition
-layering of sedimentary rocks
-surface features on layers formed during deposition
-the arrangement of grains within layers
Term
Bed
Definition
single layer of sediment or sedimentary rock with a recognizable top and bottom
Term
bedding plane
Definition
the boundary between two beds
Term
Strata
Definition
Several beds together
Term
Stratification
Definition
overall arrangement of sediment into a sequence of beds (aka-bedding)
Term
Stratigraphic formation
Definition
a sequence of strata that is distinctive enough to be traced across a fairly large region
Term
Geologic Map
Definition
A map that portrays the distribution of stratigraphic formations
Term
Bedforms
Definition
sedimentary structures that develop at the interface between the sediment and the fluid
Term
turbidity current
Definition
a submarine avalanche of sediment and water that speeds down a submarine slope and creates a turbidite
Term
Graded Bed
Definition
a layer of sediment in which grain size varies from coarse at the bottom to fine at the top.
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