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Sedimentary Rocks & Weathering Notes

Sedimentary Rocks
 Sedimentary Rocks are formed from the weathering, erosion and deposition of
existing rocks.
o Weathering - physically or chemically breaking the rock down into small
fragments
o Erosion - movement of sediment from one place to another
o Deposition - sediment settles in a new location.
 Sediments are deposited in layers and compacted and cemented to make
sedimentary rock.
 Sedimentary rocks often have a layered look.
 Stratification - the process by which sedimentary rocks are arranged in layers.
 Sedimentary rocks often record ripple marks, mud crack, and fossil
What is Weathering?
 The process that breaks down reocks and other substances at Earth’s Surface.
Heat, cold, water and ice all contribute to weathering.
Two Types of Weathering:
 Chemical Weathering
 Mechanical/Physical Weathering
Mechanical Weathering
 Mechanical weathering breaks rock into pieces by freezing and thawing, release of
pressure, growth of plants, actions of animals, and abrasion.
 The type of weathering in which is physically broken into smaller pieces.
Organic Activity
 Roots of trees and other plants enter cracks in rocks. As the roots grow they
force the cracks farther apart. Overtime the roots of even small plants pry
apart cracked rocks.
Insects, earthworms, and burrowing animals often disrupt soil layers, exposing parts of
bedrock to weathering.
 The force that moves rocks and other material downhill.
 Gravity causes mass movement, any one of several processes that movements
sediment downhill.
 Example of Gravity –

 Landslides - Common where road builders have cut highways through hills or
mountains.
 Creep - A very slow movement of rock and soil you barely notice. You may notice
objects tilted at spooky angles. Such as telephone poles, gravestone and fence
posts.
  Slump - Unlike a landslide the material in a slump moves down in one large mass. It
looks like someone pulled the bottom out from under a part of a slope (hill).
Slumps occur when water soaks the base of a mass of soil that is rich in clay.
o Example: slumping your shoulders your entire body drops down.
 Mudflows - Rapid downhill movement of a mixture of water, rock and soil.
Mudflows often occur after heavy rains in a normall dry area. Under certain
conditions soil/clay can suddenly turn to liquid and then flow.
Frost Action (Freezing/Thawing)
 When water freezes in a crack in a rock, it expands and makes the crack bigger.
The process of ice wedging also widens cracks in sidewalks and causes potholes in
streets.
Abrasion
 When wind, water, or other forces carry particles that wear away rocks. This
usually produces small particles and sand.
 Example 1: water running over rocks causing smoothness.
 Example 2: smooth steps worn down due to people continuously walking on them.
(brick walkways for example)
Exfoliation
 Caused by changes in temperature, is the breaking off of a material in curved
sheets or slabs parallel to its surface.
 During the day, the rock heats up and expands. The same rock cools and contracts
at night, and the process repeats day after day causing the rock to break off in
slabs.
 Example of Exfoliation - Paint peeling from a building

Chemical Weathering
 Chemical Weathering is the alteration of the chemical composition of a material in
breaking it down. It includes water, oxygen, CO2, living organisms and acid rain.
Carbonation (CO2)
 One of the gases found in air that is a cause of chemical weathering.
 CO2 becomes dissolved in rainwater and water that sinks through air pockets in the
soil. The result is a weak acid called carbonic acid.
 It easily weathers limestone and marble
 (Refer to lab on page 96)
Oxidation and Acid Rain
 Oxygen gas in the air causes chemical weathering.
 The product of oxidation is rust
 Rock that contains iron also oxidizes or rust.
 Rust makes rock soft and crumbly and gives it a red or brown color.
Acid Rain (Sulfuric Acid)
 Large amounts of coal, gas and oil for energy had been burning for over 150 years.
These fuel can pollute the air with sulfur, carbon and nitrogen compounds.
  These compounds react chemically with water vapor in clouds forming acids. These
acids mix with raindrops and fall as acid rain.
 Acid rain causes very rapid chemical weathering.

Plant Acid
 (Living Organisms)
 Imagine a seed landing on a rock face. As it sprouts the roots push into the cracks
in the rock. As the roots grow they produce weak acids that slowly dissolve rock
around the roots.
 Lichens - plant like organisms that grow on rocks also produce weak acids that
chemically weather the rock.

3 Types of Sedimentary Rock

 Clastic Sedimentary Rocks
 Organic Sedimentary Rocks
 Chemical Sedimentary Rocks

Clastic Sedimentary Rocks

 formed from fragments of rocks cemented together
 classified by the size of the rock’s fragments
 can be very coarse-grained, coarse-grained or fine-grained
 example: Conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and shale
Chemical Sedimentary Rocks
 form from the solutions of dissolved minerals and water.
 as rainwater slowly makes its way to the ocean, it dissolves materials along the
way.
 the materials eventually crystalize and form rock
 example: evaporites, chemical limestone, travertine (stalactites & stalagmites),
tufa
Organic Sedimentary Rock
 formed from plant and animal remains
 examples include - fossiliferous limestone (coral) and coal (formed from the
remains of tropical plants
Fossils
 Fossils in Rocks
 Fossils in Amber
 Petrification
 Fossils in Asphalt
 Frozen Fossils
 Trace Fossils
 Molds & Casts