What is a sedimentary rock? Name one.?

Question

i need help with it can you help me tell me what it is and name one specific sedimentary rock. Thanks

Answer 1

Sedimentary rocks are formed at the surface of the Earth, either in water or on land. They are layered accumulations of sediments: fragments of rocks, minerals, or animal or plant material. Temperatures and pressures are low at the Earth's surface, and sedimentary rocks show this fact by their appearance and the minerals they contain. Most sedimentary rocks become cemented together by minerals and chemicals or are held together by electrical attraction; some, however, remain loose and unconsolidated. The layers are normally parallel or nearly parallel to the Earth's surface; if they are at high angles to the surface or are twisted or broken, some kind of Earth movement has occurred since the rock was formed. Sedimentary rocks are forming around us all the time. Sand and gravel on beaches or in river bars look like the sandstone and conglomerate they will become. Compacted and dried mud flats harden into shale. Scuba divers who have seen mud and shells settling on the floors of lagoons find it easy to understand how sedimentary rocks form.

Examples:

Arkose
Breccia
Chalk
Chert
Claystone
Coal
Conglomerate
Coquina
Dolomite
Evaporite
Greywacke
Limestone
Marl
Mudstone
Oolite
Sandstone
Shale
Siltstone

For more check :

http://interactive2.usgs.gov/learningweb/explorer/topic_rocks_sedimentary.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedimentary_rocks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rocks

Answer 2

A stratum is one layer of sedimentary rock. Usually, it is a couple of feet thick, but not necessarily. One stratum is overlain by another, which signals a change in the deposition characteristics. For instance, a stratum of clay can be laid between two strata or beds of sandstone. There are systems of sedimentary rock which are given names. They are usually called after a major locality where they are exposed, like the Winton Formation in Queensland. This is a series of interbedded clays and sandstones in which precious opals have developed near to surface. Don't ever feel that you have the need to apologise for asking questions. That is exactly why Yahoo Answers was set up, you know.

Answer 3

A sedimentary rock is one that has been formed by the gradual laying down of materials like clay particles, sand, etc. usually by moving water. Looking at typical sedimentary rocks, if they haven't been otherwise disturbed you can actually see the horizontal layering.

A specific sedimentary rock (I'll give you a couple) would be sandstone. Others would be slate, shale, and my favorite name for a sedimentary rock, Howard.

Answer 4

Sedimentary rock is one of the three applerock groups (along with igneous and metamorphic rocks) and is formed in four main ways:

- by the deposition of the weathered remains of other rocks (known as 'clastic' sedimentary rocks);
- by the accumulation and the consolidation of sediments;
- by the deposition of the results of biogenic activity; and
- by precipitation from solution.

Sedimentary rocks include common types such as chalk, limestone, sandstone, clay and shale. Sedimentary rocks cover 75% of the Earth's surface. Four basic processes are involved in the formation of a clastic sedimentary rock: weathering (erosion)caused mainly by friction of waves, transportation where the sediment is carried along by a current, deposition and compaction where the sediment is squashed together to form a rock of this kind.

Formation
Sedimentary rocks are formed from overburden pressure as particles of sediment are deposited out of air, ice, or water flows carrying the particles in suspension. As sediment deposition builds up, the overburden (or 'lithostatic') pressure squeezes the sediment into layered solids in a process known as lithification ('rock formation') and the original connate fluids are expelled. The term diagenesis is used to describe all the chemical, physical, and biological changes, including cementation, undergone by a sediment after its initial deposition and during and after its lithification, exclusive of surface weathering.

Sedimentary rocks are laid down in layers called beds or strata. Each new bnkkbjcvpocjojxjxlvibkvxcvblayer is laid down horizontally over older ones. There are usually some gaps in the sequence called unconformities. These represent periods in which no new sediments were being laid down, or when earlier sedimentary layers were raised above sea level and eroded away.

Sedimentary rocks contain important information about the history of the Earth. They contain fossils, the preserved remains of ancient plants and animals. The composition of sediments provides us with clues as to the original rock. Differences between successive layers indicate changes to the environment which have occurred over time. Sedimentary rocks can contain fossils because, unlike most igneous and metamorphic rocks, they form at temperatures and pressures that do not destroy fossil remnants.

The sedimentary rock cover of the continents of the Earth's crust is extensive, but the total contribution of sedimentary rocks is estimated to be only five percent of the total. As such, the sedimentary sequences we see represent only a thin veneer over a crust consisting mainly of igneous and metamorphic rocks.

You could get more information from the link below...

Answer 5

It's rock that has been built up by layers over the years, usually because of water or shifting land... some examples are slate, sandstone, and shale.

Answer 6

poison "lol even made me laugh"