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Sediment is a solid material that is transported to a new location where it is deposited. [1] It occurs naturally and, through the processes of weathering and erosion, is broken down and subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles.
Sediment transport is the movement of solid particles , typically due to a combination of gravity acting on the sediment, and the movement of the fluid in which the sediment is entrained.
This occurs when the forces responsible for sediment transportation are no longer sufficient to overcome the forces of gravity and friction, creating a resistance to motion; this is known as the null-point hypothesis. Deposition can also refer to the buildup of sediment from organically derived matter or chemical processes.
Uluru (Ayers Rock) is a large sandstone formation in Northern Territory, Australia.. Sedimentary rocks can be subdivided into four groups based on the processes responsible for their formation: clastic sedimentary rocks, biochemical (biogenic) sedimentary rocks, chemical sedimentary rocks, and a fourth category for "other" sedimentary rocks formed by impacts, volcanism, and other minor processes.
Sediment is any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow and which eventually is deposited as a layer of solid particles on the bed or bottom of a body of water or other liquid. Sediment can also be produced and deposited by simple gravitational collapse, glacier ice, and wind.
In geography and geology, fluvial sediment processes or fluvial sediment transport are associated with rivers and streams and the deposits and landforms created by sediments. It can result in the formation of ripples and dunes , in fractal -shaped patterns of erosion, in complex patterns of natural river systems, and in the development of ...
Sediment and the particles of clastic sedimentary rocks can be further classified by grain size. The smallest sediments are clay , followed by silt , sand , and gravel . Some systems include cobbles and boulders as measurements.
The rate of sedimentation is the thickness of sediment accumulated per unit time. [8] For suspended load, this can be expressed mathematically by the Exner equation. [9] Rates of sedimentation vary from less than 3 millimeters (0.12 in) per thousand years for pelagic sediment to several meters per thousand years in portions of major river deltas.