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The sedimentary rock cover of the continents of the Earth's crust is extensive (73% of the Earth's current land surface), [1] but sedimentary rock is estimated to be only 8% of the volume of the crust. [2] Sedimentary rocks are only a thin veneer over a crust consisting mainly of igneous and metamorphic rocks.
Sedimentary structures include all kinds of features in sediments and sedimentary rocks, formed at the time of deposition. Sediments and sedimentary rocks are characterized by bedding , which occurs when layers of sediment, with different particle sizes are deposited on top of each other. [ 1 ]
In geology, a bed is a layer of sediment, sedimentary rock, or volcanic rock "bounded above and below by more or less well-defined bedding surfaces". [1] A bedding surface or bedding plane is respectively a curved surface or plane that visibly separates each successive bed (of the same or different lithology ) from the preceding or following bed.
Sedimentary rocks cover up to 75% of the Earth's surface, record much of the Earth's history, and harbor the fossil record. Sedimentology is closely linked to stratigraphy , the study of the physical and temporal relationships between rock layers or strata .
This includes all its fossil content and the information it yields about the history of the Earth: its past climate, geography, geology and the evolution of life on its surface. According to the law of superposition, sedimentary and volcanic rock layers are deposited on top of each other.
Earth sciences portal; List of minerals – List of minerals with Wikipedia articles; List of rocks on Mars – Alphabetical list of named rocks and meteorites found on Mars; Rock cycle – Transitional concept of geologic time; List of rock formations: for a list of unusual or culturally significant rock outcrops
In geology and related fields, a stratum (pl.: strata) is a layer of rock or sediment characterized by certain lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by visible surfaces known as either bedding surfaces or bedding planes. [1]
Solidified lava flow in Hawaii Sedimentary layers in Badlands National Park, South Dakota Metamorphic rock, Nunavut, Canada. Geology (from Ancient Greek γῆ (gê) 'earth' and λoγία () 'study of, discourse') [1] [2] is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. [3]