Knowra Sedimentary rock Sedimentary rock Sedimentary rock forms from deposited particles, precipitated minerals, or biological material. It commonly preserves layers, fossils, and evidence of past environments.
Sediment transport : The movement of sediment by water, wind, ice, or gravity. Transport sorts and moves the particles that later accumulate into sedimentary deposits.
Clastic sedimentary rock : Sedimentary rock made from fragments of preexisting rocks or minerals. Its grains are transported particles that become compacted and cemented.
Sandstone : Clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized grains. It forms when deposited sand is lithified.
Petroleum geology : The study of the origin, migration, trapping, and occurrence of petroleum in rocks. Sedimentary basins contain most conventional oil and natural-gas accumulations.
Igneous rock : Rock formed when molten magma or lava cools and solidifies. Unlike sedimentary rock, it crystallizes from melt rather than forming from deposits or precipitates.
Deposition (sediment) : The settling or accumulation of sediment when its transporting agent loses energy. Deposition begins the sequence that can turn loose material into sedimentary rock.
Chemical sedimentary rock : Sedimentary rock formed when dissolved substances precipitate from water. Its minerals form from solution rather than from deposited rock fragments.
Shale : Fine-grained clastic sedimentary rock that splits readily along thin layers. Its mud-sized particles commonly settle in quiet water.
Coal : A combustible sedimentary rock formed chiefly from accumulated and altered plant matter. Its formation links sediment burial to concentrated fossil energy.
Metamorphic rock : Rock altered from preexisting rock by heat, pressure, or chemically active fluids without melting. It changes in the solid state, whereas sedimentary rock forms through deposition or precipitation.
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