Transcript Notes 7 – Sedimentary Rocks

Notes 6 – Sedimentary Rocks
Earth Science
Mrs. Gordon
Monday, April 11, 2016
1. Sedimentary Rocks
• A. Rocks formed from particles of other rocks, OR
the remains of plants and animals, compacted and
cemented together (Lithification).
2. Types
• A. Clastic – rock
fragments are
squeezed and
cemented together.
~ breccia – large grains
~ sandstone – fine grains
~ shale – very fine grains
• ~ How are clastic rocks formed?
• 1. Weathering and erosion (breaking down and moving)
• 2. Deposition (laying down)
• 3. Compaction and cementation (squeezing and gluing)
• B. Organic – formed
from the remains of
plants and animals,
compressed over
millions of years.
• ~ coal – swamp
plants buried in water
and squeezed over
million of years.
• ~ limestone – tiny sea
creatures die, shells
fall to the ocean
floor
• C. Chemical –
formed by
evaporation or
precipitation
• ~ Halite
• ~ Gypsum
3. Uses
• Sandstone / limestone = building materials
• Coal = ENERGY
The outside walls are faced
• Halite = salt!
with sandstone from
Tablerock Quarry east of
Boise. Convict labor was
used to quarry and deliver
the sandstone blocks, some
weighing up to ten tons.
•
•
Importance of Coal
Importance of Salt
• The largest gypsum
crystals ever
discovered, of the
variety called selenite,
with lengths over 11
meters, have been
found in Mexico.
Research suggests
they achieved their
immense size because
the solution from which
they grew remained
within in a very narrow,
stable temperature
range.