Geology Sedimentary Rocks

Front 1

What percentage of the Earth's continental surface is covered by sedimentary rocks?

Back 1

75%

Front 2

What are the five steps to form a sedimentary rock?

Back 2

weathering, transportation, deposition, compaction, lithification

Front 3

What is rock strata?

Back 3

layers

Front 4

Sedimentary rocks typically occur in what form?

Back 4

layers (or strata)

Front 5

What is a clast?

Back 5

part of another rock that is weathered away/broken from another rock

Front 6

What does the texture of a sedimentary rock do?

Back 6

serves as an indicator of the type of energy levels

Front 7

moving water=

Back 7

high energy environment

Front 8

quiet water=

Back 8

low energy environment

Front 9

poor sediment sorting=

Back 9

inconsistent energy conditions

Front 10

good sediment sorting=

Back 10

consistent energy conditions

Front 11

What is the sediment size range for sandstone?

Back 11

.0625-2 mm

Front 12

Quartz sandstone:

Back 12

spent a long time in depositional basin; climate probably humid because feldspars weathered away and formed clay

Front 13

arkose sandstone:

Back 13

rich in feldspars; fizzes (has effervescence); comes from rapid weathering of granite rocks

Front 14

lithic sandstone:

Back 14

"dirty sandstone"; high volume of clay; sand size particles poorly sorted; forms in seas near fast-rising mountains; fresh sediment that doesn't fully weather down

Front 15

what is the sediment size range of conglomerates and breccias?

Back 15

at least 2mm

Front 16

What type of sediments does a conglomerate have?

Back 16

rounded

Front 17

What type of sediments does a breccia have?

Back 17

angular

Front 18

What depositional environment do conglomerates and breccias form in?

Back 18

in high-energy environments where rocks are eroded and carried downhill so fast that they don't get broken down

Front 19

Shale:

Back 19

detrital, clastic sedimentary rock formed by compaction of clay, silt, or mud--very low energy conditions

Front 20

Chemical sedimentary rocks:

Back 20

formed from salt from water in the ocean or from a lake; reacts with acid

Front 21

Limestone:

Back 21

usually contains the calcite and reacts with acid

Front 22

chert and flint:

Back 22

forms where sponges and oceanic creatures get fossilized in limestone and they are replaced by silica

Front 23

gypsum:

Back 23

calcium sulfate with 2 molecules of water

Front 24

Halite:

Back 24

rock salt

Front 25

Coal:

Back 25

fossil fuel created from the remains of plants that lived and died about 100-400 million years ago when parts of earth were covered with huge swampy forests

Front 26

Bedding:

Back 26

commonly show layering and other structures created by movement of sediment, sorting of sediment, etc.

Front 27

cross bedding:

Back 27

angularly bedding sandstone formed by wind or water commonly in dunes, streams, deposits, and tidal areas

Front 28

graded bedding:

Back 28

characterized by progressive decrease in grain size--big grains on bottom, fine on top

Front 29

ripple marks:

Back 29

occur due to movement in water and the mark is left behind in the rock

Front 30

mud cracks:

Back 30

occurs when water evaporates and mud loses its moisture

Front 31

sole marks:

Back 31

develop as irregularity on bottom of rock layer; it's a cast of a depression on the top surface of the underlying rock

Front 32

alluvial fan:

Back 32

fan-shaped deposits of gravel, sand, and mud that accumlate many basins at bases of mtn. ranges--only on dry land

Front 33

trace fossils:

Back 33

represents something was there at one time but not anymore

Front 34

Eolian environment:

Back 34

desert with wind--arid regions

Front 35

Swamp environment:

Back 35

humd regions w/ plant and tree lige still in water conditions--coal reserves

Front 36

Lacustrine environment:

Back 36

lake--no salt water; continental lowlands, freshwater lakes; very low energy conditions; shale is common

Front 37

Glacial environment:

Back 37

areas where sediment is deposited by glaciers; occurs at megins of ice

Front 38

Marine environment:

Back 38

salt water in ocean (or sea); lagoons, continental shelf and deep ocean basins

Front 39

Shoreline environments

Back 39

along continental edges where wave action erodes bedrock and soil; where ocean touches continents

Front 40

Fluvial environment:

Back 40

rivers, streams, tributaries, and deltas