CLASTIC SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

BRECCIA

Definition and Origin

Breccia is a term most often used for clastic sedimentary rocks that are composed
of large angular fragments (over two millimeters in diameter). The spaces between
the large angular fragments are filled with a matrix of smaller particles and a
mineral cement that binds the rock together.

Breccia forms where broken, angular fragments of rock or mineral debris

accumulate. One of the most common locations for breccia formation is at the base
of an outcrop where mechanical weathering debris accumulates. Another is in
stream deposits a short distance from the outcrop or on an alluvial fan.Some
breccias form from debris flow deposits.

Usage

The rock, breccia, has very few uses. It can be used as fill or road base where the
technical requirements are minimal. It is rarely used in important projects because
its composition, degree of cementation and competence are highly variable.
CONGLOMERATE

Definition and Origin

Conglomerate is a clastic sedimentary rock that contains large (greater than two
millimeters in diameter) rounded clasts. The space between the clasts is generally
filled with smaller particles and/or a calcite or quartz cement that binds the rock
together.

Conglomerate forms where sediments of rounded clasts at least two millimeters in

diameter accumulate. It takes a strong water current to transport and produce a
rounded shape on particles this large. So the environment of deposition might be
along a swiftly flowing stream or a beach with strong waves. These conditions
might only be met during times of extreme flow or wave action. However, it is
during these times that much of the Earth's sediments are moved and deposited.

Usage

Conglomerate has very few commercial uses. Its inability to break cleanly makes it
a poor candidate for dimension stone, and its variable composition makes it a rock
of unreliable physical strength and durability. Conglomerate can be crushed to
make a fine aggregate that can be used where a low-performance material is
suitable.
SANDSTONE

Definition and Origin

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed of sand-size grains of mineral, rock, or

organic material. It also contains a cementing material that binds the sand grains
together and may contain a matrix of silt- or clay-size particles that occupy the
spaces between the sand grains.

Sandstones are formed from cemented grains that may either be fragments of a
pre-existing rock or be mono-minerallic crystals. The formation of sandstone
involves two principal stages. First, a layer or layers of sand accumulates as the
result of sedimentation, either from water or from air. Typically, sedimentation
occurs by the sand settling out from suspension. Finally, once it has accumulated,
the sand becomes sandstone when it is compacted by the pressure of overlying
deposits and cemented by the precipitation of minerals within the pore spaces
between sand grains.

Usage

Sandstone has been used for domestic construction and housewares since
prehistoric times, and continues to be used. Sandstone was a popular building
material from ancient times. It is relatively soft, making it easy to carve. It has
been widely used around the world in constructing temples, homes, and other
buildings. It has also been used for artistic purposes to create ornamental
fountains and statues.
SILTSTONE

Definition and Origin

Siltstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of silt-sized particles. It forms

where water, wind, or ice deposit silt, and the silt is then compacted and cemented
into a rock. Silt accumulates in sedimentary basins throughout the world. It
represents a level of current, wave, or wind energy between where sand and mud
accumulate. These include fluvial, aeolian, tidal, coastal, lacustrine, deltaic, glacial,
paludal, and shelf environments. Sedimentary structures such as layering, cross-
bedding, ripple marks, erosional contacts, and fossils provide evidence of these
environments.Siltstone is much less common than sandstone and shale. The rock
units are usually thinner and less extensive. Only rarely is on

Usage

Siltstone has very few uses. It is rarely the target of mining for use as a
construction material or manufacturing feedstock. The intergranular pore spaces in
siltstone are too small for it to serve as a good aquifer. It is rarely porous enough
or extensive enough to serve as an oil or gas reservoir. Its main use is as a low-
quality fill when better materials are not locally available.
SHALE

Definition and Origin

Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock that forms from the compaction of silt
and clay-size mineral particles that we commonly call "mud." This composition
places shale in a category of sedimentary rocks known as "mudstones." Shale is
distinguished from other mudstones because it is fissile and laminated.
"Laminated" means that the rock is made up of many thin layers. "Fissile" means
that the rock readily splits into thin pieces along the laminations.

Usage

Some shales have special properties that make them important resources. Black
shales contain organic material that sometimes breaks down to form natural gas or
oil. Other shales can be crushed and mixed with water to produce clays that can be
made into a variety of useful objects.
 CHEMICAL AND ORGANIC SEDIMENTARY ROCCKS

IRON ORE

Definition and Origin

Earth's most important iron ore deposits are found in sedimentary rocks. They
formed from chemical reactions that combined iron and oxygen in marine and fresh
waters. Nearly all of Earth's major iron ore deposits are in rocks that formed over
1.8 billion years ago. At that time Earth's oceans contained abundant dissolved iron
and almost no dissolved oxygen.

The iron ore deposits began forming when the first organisms capable of
photosynthesis began releasing oxygen into the waters. This oxygen immediately
combined with the abundant dissolved iron to produce hematite or magnetite.
These minerals deposited on the sea floor in great abundance, forming what are
now known as the "banded iron formations." The rocks are "banded" because the
iron minerals deposited in alternating bands with silica and sometimes shale. The
banding might have resulted from seasonal changes in organism activity.
Usage

The primary use of iron ore is in the production of iron. Most of the iron produced
is then used to make steel. Steel is used to make automobiles, locomotives, ships,
beams used in buildings, furniture, paper clips, tools, reinforcing rods for concrete,
bicycles, and thousands of other items. It is the most-used metal by both tonnage
and purpose.

CHERT

Definition and Origin

Chert is a sedimentary rock composed of microcrystalline or

cryptocrystalline quartz, the mineral form of silicon dioxide (SiO2). It occurs as
nodules, concretionary masses, and as layered deposits.

Chert can form when microcrystals of silicon dioxide grow within soft sediments
that will become limestone or chalk. In these sediments, enormous numbers of
silicon dioxide microcrystals grow into irregularly-shaped nodules or concretions
when dissolved silica is transported to the formation site by the movement of
groundwater. If the nodules or concretions are numerous, they can grow large
enough to merge with one another to form a nearly continuous layer of chert within
the sediment mass. Chert formed in this manner is a chemical sedimentary rock.

Usage

Chert has very few uses today; however, it was a very important tool-making
material in the past. The edges of broken chert are sharp and tend to retain their
sharpness because chert is a very hard and very durable rock. Thousands of years
ago people discovered these properties of chert and learned how to intentionally
break it to produce cutting tools such as knife blades, arrowheads, scrapers, and
ax heads.

Tons of chert fragments have been found at locations where these objects were
produced in what was one of the earliest manufacturing activities of people. Chert
is a very hard material that produces a spark when it is struck against steel. The
heat from this spark can be used to start fires.
FLINT

Definition and Origin

Flint is a hard, tough chemical or biochemical sedimentary rock that breaks with a
conchoidal fracture. It is a form of microcrystalline quartz that is typically called
“chert” by geologists.

Flint often forms as nodules in sedimentary rocks such as chalk and

marine limestones. The nodules can be dispersed randomly throughout the rock unit
but are often concentrated in distinct layers. Some rock units form through the
accumulation of siliceous skeletal material. These can recrystallize to form a layer
of bedded flint.

Usage

Flint has been used by humans to make stone tools for at least two million years. [1]
The conchoidal fracture of flint causes it to break into sharp-edged pieces. Early
people recognized this property of flint and learned how to fashion it into knife
blades, projectile points, scrapers, axes, drills, and other sharp tools.

The value of flint for making sharp tools was discovered and utilized by Stone Age
people in almost every early culture located where flint could easily be found.
Where flint was not locally available, people often travelled or traded to obtain
premade tools or pieces of flint for manufacturing. Their survival depended upon
having a durable material that could be used to produce sharp tools.
DOLOMITE

Definition and Origin

Dolomite, also known as "dolostone" and "dolomite rock," is a sedimentary

rock composed primarily of the mineral dolomite, CaMg(CO3)2. Dolomite is found in
sedimentary basins worldwide. It is thought to form by the postdepositional
alteration of lime mud and limestone by magnesium-rich groundwater.

Dolomite and limestone are very similar rocks. They share the same color ranges of
white-to-gray and white-to-light brown (although other colors such as red, green,
and black are possible). They are approximately the same hardness, and they are
both soluble in dilute hydrochloric acid. They are both crushed and cut for use as
construction materials and used for their ability to neutralize acids.

Usage

Dolomite and limestone are used in similar ways. They are crushed and used as an
aggregate in construction projects. They are kiln-fired in the manufacture of
cement. They are cut into blocks and slabs for use as a dimension stone. They are
calcined to produce lime. In some of these uses, dolomite is preferred. Its greater
hardness makes it a superior construction material. Its lower solubility makes it
more resistant to the acid content of rain and soil.
LIMESTONE

Definition and Origin

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed primarily of calcium carbonate (CaCO3)

in the form of the mineral calcite. It most commonly forms in clear, warm, shallow
marine waters. It is usually an organic sedimentary rock that forms from the
accumulation of shell, coral, algal, and fecal debris. It can also be a chemical
sedimentary rock formed by the precipitation of calcium carbonate from lake or
ocean water.

Most limestones form in shallow, calm, warm marine waters. That type of
environment is where organisms capable of forming calcium carbonate shells and
skeletons can easily extract the needed ingredients from ocean water. When these
animals die, their shell and skeletal debris accumulate as a sediment that might be
lithified into limestone. Their waste products can also contribute to the sediment
mass. Limestones formed from this type of sediment are biological sedimentary
rocks. Their biological origin is often revealed in the rock by the presence
of fossils.
Usage

Limestone is a rock with an enormous diversity of uses. It could be the one rock
that is used in more ways than any other. Most limestone is made into crushed
stone and used as a construction material. It is used as a crushed stone for road
base and railroad ballast. It is used as an aggregate in concrete. It is fired in a kiln
with crushed shale to make cement.

COAL

Definition and Origin

Coal is an organic sedimentary rock that forms from the accumulation and
preservation of plant materials, usually in a swamp environment. Coal is a
combustible rock and, along with oil and natural gas, it is one of the three most
important fossil fuels.

Coal forms from the accumulation of plant debris, usually in a swamp environment.
When a plant dies and falls into the swamp, the standing water of the swamp
protects it from decay. Swamp waters are usually deficient in oxygen, which would
react with the plant debris and cause it to decay. This lack of oxygen allows the
plant debris to persist. In addition, insects and other organisms that might
consume the plant debris on land do not survive well under water in an oxygen-
deficient environment.
Usage

Coal has a wide range of uses; the most important use is for the generation of
electricity.Coal has many other uses. It is used as a source of heat for
manufacturing processes. For example, bricks and cement are produced in kilns
heated by the combustion of a jet of powdered coal. Coal is also used as a power
source for factories. There it is used to heat steam, and the steam is used to drive
mechanical devices. A few decades ago most coal was used for space heating. Some
coal is still used that way, but other fuels and coal-produced electricity are now
used instead.
 REFERENCES

Hobart M. King, Ph.D., RPG https://geology.com/rocks/sedimentary-

rocks.shtml?fbclid=IwAR0JdkoE5HWmU9pVTLvFrkloqietVVOQrHt11tLh32xgV-
4YA0pq93BBmdI