7: Sedimentary Minerals and Sedimentary Rocks
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- Weathering involves the decomposition and breaking apart of rocks at Earth’s surface.
- Weathering produces solid clastic material and dissolved chemical material.
- Products of weathering may be transported and deposited to produce clastic or chemical sediments.
- Sediments of all sorts may be lithified to become rocks.
- Clastic material typically comprises quartz and clays; less commonly other minerals.
- Minerals produced by chemical precipitation include clays, carbonates, sulfates, halides, zeolites, and chert.
- We name clastic sedimentary rocks based primarily on clast size.
- We name chemical sedimentary rocks based primarily on composition.
