Sediments definition of Sediments in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

sediment, mineral or organic particles that are deposited by the action of wind, water, or glacial ice. These sediments can eventually form sedimentary rocks (see rock rock, aggregation of solid matter composed of one or more of the minerals forming the earth's crust. The scientific study of rocks is called petrology. Rocks are commonly divided, according to their origin, into three major classes—igneous, sedimentary, and
..... Click the link for more information. ).

Classification of Sediments

Sediments are commonly subdivided into three major groups—mechanical, chemical, and organic.

Mechanical, or clastic, sediments are derived from the erosion of earlier formed rocks on the earth's surface or in the oceans. These are then carried by streams, winds, or glaciers to the site where they are deposited. Streams deposit sediment in floodplains floodplain, level land along the course of a river formed by the deposition of sediment during periodic floods. Floodplains contain such features as levees, backswamps, delta plains, and oxbow lakes.
..... Click the link for more information. or carry these particles to the ocean, where they may be deposited as a delta delta [from triangular shape of the Nile delta, like the Greek letter delta], a deposit of clay, silt, and sand formed at the mouth of a river where the stream loses velocity and drops part of its sediment load.
..... Click the link for more information. . Ocean sediments, especially in the form of turbidites, are usually deposited at the foot of continental slopes (see oceans ocean, interconnected mass of saltwater covering 70.78% of the surface of the earth, often called the world ocean. It is subdivided into four (or five) major units that are separated from each other in most cases by the continental masses. See also oceanography.
..... Click the link for more information. ). Glaciers carry sediment frozen within the mass of the ice and are capable of carrying even huge boulders (erratics).

Chemical sediments are formed by chemical reactions in seawater that result in the precipitation of minute mineral crystals, which settle to the floor of the sea and ultimately form a more or less chemically pure layer of sediment. For example, evaporation in shallow basins results in a sequence of evaporite sediments, which include gypsum and rock salt.

Organic sediments are formed as a result of plant or animal actions; for example, peat and coal form by the incomplete decay of vegetation and its later compaction. Deep-ocean sediment known as pelagic ooze consists largely of the remains of microscope organisms (mostly foraminifera and diatoms) from the overlying waters as well as minor amounts of windblown volcanic and continental dust. Limestones are commonly formed by the aggregation of calcite shells of animals.

Formation of Sedimentary Rock

Sediments form sedimentary rock by compaction and cementation of the particles. Thus, coarse sediments become conglomerates conglomerate, in geology, sedimentary rock composed largely of pebbles or other rounded particles whose diameter is larger than 2 mm (.08 in.). Essentially a cemented gravel, conglomerates are formed along beaches, as glacial drift, and in river deposits.
..... Click the link for more information. ; sands become sandstone sandstone, sedimentary rock formed by the cementing together of grains of sand. The usual cementing material in sandstone is calcium carbonate, iron oxides, or silica, and the hardness of sandstone varies according to the character of the cementing material; quartz
..... Click the link for more information. ; and muds become shale shale, sedimentary rock formed by the consolidation of mud or clay, having the property of splitting into thin layers parallel to its bedding planes. Shale tends to be fissile, i.e., it tends to split along planar surfaces between the layers of stratified rock.
..... Click the link for more information. . Sedimentary rocks make up only about 5% of all rocks of the earth's crust, yet they cover 75% of the land area in a veneer that averages 2.26 km (1.4 mi) in thickness, ranging from 0 to 12.9 km (0–8 mi).

sediment

material that has been deposited from water, ice, or wind

sediment [′sed·ə·mənt]

(geology)

A mass of organic or inorganic solid fragmented material, or the solid fragment itself, that comes from weathering of rock and is carried by, suspended in, or dropped by air, water, or ice; or a mass that is accumulated by any other natural agent and that forms in layers on the earth's surface such as sand, gravel, silt, mud, fill, or loess.

A solid material that is not in solution and either is distributed through the liquid or has settled out of the liquid.

sediment

The matter which settles to the bottom of water or any other liquid.

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No references found			But only much later did scientists begin to appreciate the widespread effects of bioturbation, the displacement and mixing of sediments by animal and plant life. As the worms churn: burrowing animals mix soil and sediments, shaping ... by Perkins, Sid / Science News Byline: ANI Washington, October 24 (ANI): A new study says that changes seen in Arctic sediments since the mid-20th century are unprecedented in the last 200,000 years, and is unlike natural variation like others that have occurred throughout geologic time. 20th century warming is unlike natural variation seen in last 200,000 ... by Asian News International However, a number of studies had shown that trace metals in-puts into the aquatic systems can be through; a) geogenic sources, related to the processes of weathering, erosion and sedimentation of geological units within the catchment area and b) anthropogenic sources, related to human activities that cause enrichment of metals in river waters and bottom sediments [4-8]. Hydrogeochemical assessment of metals contamination in an urban ... by Tijani, Moshood N.; Onodera, Shinichi / Journal of Water Resource and Protection (JWARP)			sedimentary tectonics sedimentary trap sedimentary tuff sedimentary volcanism Sedimentation Sedimentation Analysis sedimentation balance sedimentation basin sedimentation coefficient sedimentation constant sedimentation curve sedimentation diameter sedimentation equilibrium sedimentation radius sedimentation rate sedimentation tank sedimentation test sedimentation trend sedimentation trough sedimentation unit sedimentation velocity Sedimentogenesis Sedimentogenic Mineral Deposit sedimentography sedimentology Sediments sedition Sedition Act Sedley, Sir Charles Sednev Sedoheptulose Sedom Sedov, Georgii Sedov, Georgii Iakovlevich Sedov, Leonid Sedov, Leonid Ivanovich Sedovo Sedrak Arakelian Sedrak Arakelovich Arakelian Seduction Sedum Seduva see see u see me See, Henri Eugene Sée, Henri Eugene Seebeck coefficient Seebeck effect Seebeck, Thomas Johann Seebohm, Frederic Seeckt, Hans von			Sedimentation velocity Sedimentation velocity sedimentations sedimentations sedimentations sedimentations sedimentator Sedimented Sedimented Sedimented Sedimented sedimenting sedimenting sedimenting sedimenting Sedimentogenesis Sedimentogenic Mineral Deposit sedimentography sedimentologic sedimentologic sedimentological sedimentological Sedimentological Society of Egypt sedimentologist sedimentologist Sedimentologists Sedimentologists sedimentology sedimentology sedimentometer Sediments SEDInst SEDIP SEDIS SEDITA Sedite Sedite Sedite seditio sedition sedition sedition Sedition Act Sedition Act Sedition Act of 1918 Sedition Act of 1918 Seditionary seditionem seditionist seditionist seditionist seditions seditions seditions seditiosus seditious seditious seditious Seditious libel seditious libels seditiously

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Classification of Sediments

Formation of Sedimentary Rock

sediment
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