Terrigenous clastic sediments: gravel, sand and mud - Classification of sediments and sedimentary rocks

9 important questions on Terrigenous clastic sediments: gravel, sand and mud - Classification of sediments and sedimentary rocks

What is THE characteristic of limestone and how is it written scientifically?


By definition, a limestone is any sedimentary rock containing over 50% calcium carbonate (CaCO3).

How do evaporites, a type of non-clastic sedimentary rock, form?


Evaporites: These are deposits formed by the precipitation
of salts out of water due to evaporation.

How are volcaniclastic sediments, a type of clastic sedimentary rock, formed?


Volcaniclastic sediments: These are the products of
volcanic eruptions or the result of the breakdown of
volcanic rocks.
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What is litification in geological context?

The process of 'turning into rock'

Name 3 types of loose aggregates that could be lithified and transfer from sediment to sedimentary rock.

Mud, silt, sand (note: silt will fall into the superior category of mudrock once lithified)

Name 2 coarser, looser material than aggegrates. What do they lithify into (think about Erik Cammeraat)?


Granule, pebble, cobble and boulder aggregates, which
become lithified into conglomerate

Which scale is commenly used to classify aggregates particulate matter. How does it measure?


Udden–Wentworth grain-size scale

Which two scales does the Wentworth scale use and what are they used for?

-log base 2: these divisions appear to reflect the natural distribution of sedimentary particles
phi: numerical representation of Wentworth

Name the 4 basic division of the Wentworth scale for sedimentary clastic sediments, extra points for mentioning the order of magnitude


clay (<4 mm)
silt (4 mm to 63mm)
sand (63 mm or 0.063mm to 2.0 mm)
gravel/aggregates (>2.0 mm)

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