CHAPTER-3

SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
-How Formed
-Composition of Sedimentary Rocks
-Development of Sedimentary Rocks
-Types of Sedimentary Rocks
-Uses of Sedimentary Rocks
-Some Common Sedimentary Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks
- The sedimentary rocks are made up of sediments
derived from older rocks by different weathering
processes.
- These sediments are mainly loose sand and mud or
clay.
- It has been estimated that sedimentary rocks
constitute about 5% of all crustal rocks and extend up
to the depth of 16 km.
- During weathering processes, rock pieces of different
sizes are broken and deposited as sedimentary rocks in
the form of layers.

Sedimentary Rocks

Sediments, Their sizes and Rocks

Sediment
Boulder
Cobble
Pebble

(Size)Diameter in mm
Sedimentary Rocks
>256
]
|
Conglomerate (Rounded)
64-256 |
|
Breccia (Angular)
10-64 |
|

Gravel

2-10

Sand

0.1-2

Sandstone

Silt

0.01-0.1

Siltstone

Clay

Less than 0.01

Shale or mudstone

Conglomerate

Breccia

Breccia

Conglomerate

Conglomerate

Sedimentary rock (Grit)

Sedimentary Rock (Sandstone)

Sedimentary Rock (Shale)

Formation of Sedimentary Rocks

Formation of sedimentary rocks takes place in three
stages:
(i) Weathering and erosion of preexisting rocks
(ii) Sedimentation
(iii) Lithification or Consolidation

(i) Weathering and Erosion

- During weathering and erosion, the preexisting
rocks and their constituent minerals are broken
down. The material produced is called the
sediment.
- The sediments are transported by water, glaciers
and wind action.
- During transportation sediments are sorted and
deposited according to size. Bigger rock pieces like
boulder and gravel, settle first, sand particles are
next and clays are deposited in the last. The
minerals dissolved in water, travel in solution form.

(ii) Sedimentation
- The process of accumulation of sediments at a site of
deposition is called
sedimentation
.
- The material carried in solution precipitates and
accumulates.
- Sedimentation is the intermediate stage in formation
of sedimentary rocks.
(iii) Lithification
-
Lithificationis a process by which soft and loose
sediments are converted into hard and firm rocks. This
process is also called
consolidation
.
- Many physical and chemical changes take place within
the sediments during this process. All these changes are
called diagenesis.

Formation of Sedimentary Rocks

Composition of Sedimentary Rocks

- The raw materials from which the sedimentary rocks
are formed include loose sand and muddy material,
derived from the breakdown of older rocks.
- Some sediments are formed by remains of plants and
animals that lived on lands, in rivers, on deltas along
coast lines and in the sea.
- Sediments may also be formed by evaporation of
water and precipitation of the soluble minerals within
it. For example NaCl is formed by evaporation of sea
water.

Development of Sedimentary Rocks

Loose sediments accumulated during sedimentation are
developed into sedimentary rocks by three processes: (i)
compaction (ii) Cementation (iii) Re-crystallization
(i) Compaction
Compaction occurs when the weight of overlying layers
compresses the sediments below. By this compression
pore spaces and volume of sediments is reduced and
they become consolidated.

Compaction of Sedimentary Rocks

(ii) Cementation
- The water present in pores of sediments contains
some minerals in dissolved form.
- This water coats the grains. The sediments are pressed
by weight of overlying strata and pore water squeezes
out.
- The minerals present in the water are precipitated
between the grains and act as cement which binds
them together. This process is called cementation.
- The most common cementing materials are silica,
calcium carbonate, iron oxides and clay minerals.

Cementation of Sedimentary Rocks

Cemented and Compacted Sedimentary Rocks

(iii) Re-crystallization
- Most of sedimentary rocks are solidified by
compaction and cementation.
- But some sedimentary rocks are mainly
solidified by re-crystallization of their
constituents especially chemically formed rocks
such as limestone, dolomite, salt and gypsum.

Dolomite Crystals

Types and Classification of Sedimentary Rocks

There are three main types of sedimentary rocks:
(a) Detrital or Mechanically Formed Sedimentary
Rocks
These rocks are formed from sediment grains
loosened by pre-existing rocks with weathering
processes. These rocks consist of material such as
gravel, sand, and clay. These rocks are of three types:
i) Rudaceous rocks -Bouldary deposit(conglomerate)
Ii) Arenaceous rocks---------Sandy rocks e.g. sandstone
iii) Argillaceous rocks ---------Clayey rocks e.g. Shale

Sedimentary Rock

(b) Chemical Sedimentary Rocks or Evaporates

These rocks are deposited by precipitation of minerals
from solution and accumulation of soluble content e.g.
rock salt, limestone, chert etc. These are of three types:
i) Carbonate Rocks ---------Limestone, dolomite
(CaCO 3), (MgCO3)
ii) Sulphate Rocks -----------------Gypsum (CaSO 4)
iii) Chloride Rocks ------------------Rock salt (NaCl)

Evaporates

Limestone

Gypsum

Rock Salt

(c) Organic Sedimentary Rocks

These rocks are composed of organic carbon
compounds such as animals and plants remains e.g.
coal etc. These are of two types:
i) Calcareous Rocks --- Limestone(Animal fossils)
ii) Carbonacious Rocks -----Coal seams (Plant
remains)

Organic Rock(Fossils)

Organic Sedimentary Rock(Wood Remains)

Coal (Organic Rock)

Organic Sedimentary Rocks(Sea Shells)

Fossil

Uses of sedimentary Rocks

- Construction material such as sand and gravel,
limestone for cement, clay for ceramics, silica sand for
glass, gypsum for plaster are obtained from sedimentary
rocks.
- Many mineral deposits are also found in sedimentary
rocks such as coal, oil and gas, uranium, gold, tin,
diamond, zircon, magnetite, chromites etc. Other
minerals in the sands or sandstones(in small amount) are
feldspar, mica, apatite, garnet, tourmaline and magnetite.

Common Sedimentary Rocks

i) Conglomerate---Pebbles and gravels after cementation
and consolidation. (Rounded fragments).
ii) Breccia--- Resembling conglomerate but having
angular fragments instead of rounded.
iii) Sandstone--- Composed of mainly quartz grains.
Siliceous sandstone ------Cementing material is silica
Calcareous sandstone-------Cementing material is
calcium carbonate
Ferruginous sandstone------Cementing material is iron
oxide
Argillaceous sandstone-------Cementing material is clay

iv) Grit---- Sandstone containing coarse and angular sand

grains.
v) Arkose----Sandstone rich in quartz and feldspar
vi) Shale ------------Laminated fine grained containing CaCO3
and iron minerals.
vii) Mudstone ---------Unlamented shale or clay.
viii) Laterite ------------Red, porous, found on bed rocks as a
weathered product.
ix) Limestone ----------Consists chiefly calcite and dolomite
(Mg. L.St.)
xi) Marl -------------------Impure limestone which contains
mixture
of clay and calcareous matter.
xii) Flint and Chert ------------Crystalline form of silica found in
Limestone and Chalks.

Sedimentary Rocks Samples

Sedimentary Rock Samples

Sedimentary Rocks Samples