The Role of Running Water in the Formation of Clastic Sedimentary Rocks
The illustration above shows the formation of several types of clastic (a.k.a.
detrital) sedimentary rocks in a marine environment. Weathered rock fragments
(clasts) are deposited along the ocean floor with the largest particles falling
closest to shore. Particle size decreases with increasing distance from the
land.
Over time, possibly tens to hundreds of thousands of years, pressure from overlying
layers of sediments, combined with natural "cement," turns loose sediment
into solid rock.
Emergence of land above sea level, due to either uplift or regression of seas,
exposes sedimentary rock layers that were once submerged.
The limestone rock formed in Zone D is not a Clastic Sedimentary Rock. Limestone
is a precipitate, discussed under a different subheading.
