(27).Lithification of sedimentary rocks.

What steps led to this rock formation?

What do you see? 

The rock is a sandstone, so first there were rocks that weathered and eroded. The cross-bedding indicates that the sand was deposited in a dune. The sand was then buried deeply enough that it turned into rock. This concept will explore how something like sand could become a rock.

Sedimentary Rock Formation

There are two main types of sedimentary rocks: clastic and chemical. Clastic rocksare made of sediments, which are sometimes called clasts. Creating rocks from sediments is called lithification. Chemicals precipitate from liquid to form chemical sedimentary rocks.

Clastic Rocks

Over time, deposited sediments may harden into rock. First, the sediments are compacted. That is, they are squeezed together by the weight of sediments on top of them. Next, the sediments are cemented together. Minerals fill in the spaces between the loose sediment particles. These cementing minerals come from the water that moves through the sediments. Sedimentary rocks that form from sediments are called “clastic rocks.“ Clastic rocks are rock fragments that are compacted and cemented together (Figure below).

[Figure 1]

Conglomerates have larger clasts than sandstone, which have larger clasts than mudstone.

Chemical Sedimentary Rocks

Chemical sedimentary rocks form when crystals precipitate out from a liquid. The mineral halite, also called rock salt, forms this way. You can make halite! Leave a shallow dish of salt water out in the Sun. As the water evaporates, salt crystals form in the dish. There are other chemical sedimentary rocks, like gypsum (Figure below).

[Figure 2]

Gypsum, with its rose-like structure, is a chemical sedimentary rock.

Summary

Compaction and cementation lead to lithification of sedimentary rocks.

Sediments are compacted by the weight of the rocks and sediments above them.

Sediments are cemented by fluids that bind sediments together.

Minerals precipitate to form sedimentary rocks.