Sedimentary Rock The sample is a five-pound sedimentary rock. The rock is relatively flat and elongated, being around seven centimeters thick, forty five fifty centimeters long and about thirty centimeters wide. It feels quite light for its size and gives the impression that it is soft and fragile. The rock is mostly dark gray, although some bits are much lighter and seem to be out of place. You can also observe a large number of little shiny crystals that are embedded in the rock. Generally, the sample would remind basalt, if not for its small weight and softness.
The sample is quite solid, there dont seem to be any cracks in it and the surface of the sample looks mostly even, although there is some evidence that bits of the rock were separated from the main body. The character of the traces left by this separation makes you suspect that the rock itself is layered, although you cannot see any borders that would distinguish these layers. If the rock is layered, then it could have been a part of a much larger formation and was cleaved from is as a result of some physical stress. One of the most important features that make you think that this rock is sedimentary is its layered structure. As it is known, sedimentary rocks are formed from numerous layers of sediments, which can be quite different, depending on the type of a rock. Another feature that supports the hypothesis is the presence of little crystals, which are probably made of calcite, known to be quite common for the sedimentary materials of the oceans. Further testing with hydrochloric acid would probably confirm the sedimentary origin of the rock. If the hypothesis about this rock being sedimentary is confirmed, than it is most probably limestone.
The Term Paper on Sedimentary Rock 2
Sedimentary rock formation begins with igneous, metamorphic, or other sedimentary rocks. When these rocks are exposed at the earth’s surface they begin the long slow but relentless process of becoming sedimentary rock. Weathering All rocks are subject to weathering. Weathering is anything that breaks the rocks into smaller pieces or sediments. This can happen by the forces of like wind, rain, and ...
It was formed at the bottom of the ocean and is composed predominantly of calcium carbonate, which can be precipitated from water or come from various marine organisms. The material is then compressed by the upper layers of sediments. The age of such formations can be very different, some being as old as 505 million years and others being much younger, just 30 40 million years..
