Download Chapter 3 Rocks and Minerals: Sedimentary

Chapter 3 Rocks and Minerals
Student Notes: Lesson 3 Sedimentary Rock
Main Idea:
Most sedimentary rocks form when sediments settle in layers. Over a long period of time, the layers
change to rock.
Vocabulary:
Sediment (162) – tiny particles of rocks, minerals, plants and bones, shells and other animal material
Sedimentary rock (162) – rocks that are formed from sediments that become pressed together in
layers
Fossil (164) – remains from animals or plants from long ago that are found in sedimentary rock
How are sedimentary rocks formed?
Main Idea
Sedimentary rocks are formed by layers of sediment.
Supporting Details
1. Sedimentary rock are rocks that form from sediments that become pressed together in layers
2. Layers form
a. Sediments can be picked up and carried away by water, wind, and ice
b. Sediments are dropped off at a new place
c. Over long periods of time, new layers of sediment are carried off and dropped on old
layers of sediment
d. The weight of the top layer:
i. Squeezes out the water and air from the lower layers
ii. Presses together the sediments below it
e. Dissolve minerals cement the sediment together to form sedimentary rock
What are the properties of sedimentary rock?
Main Idea
The properties of sedimentary rock depend on the minerals they are made of and the way they are
formed.
Supporting Details
1. A sedimentary rock’s properties result from the way the rock is formed and the materials it
was made from.
a. Some sedimentary is hard, others are soft
b. Many sedimentary rock s have distinct layers; others show no layers
2. Properties of limestone
a. Usually white
b. Forms on the bottom of oceans from remains of once living things
c. Limestone often contains fossils, remains of animals or plants
3. Properties of sandstone
a. Made from bits of sand cemented together
b. Made mostly of quartz
c. Sandstone, formed in water, may have layers that look like ripples
4. Properties of Conglomerate
a. Formed from larger rocks: rounded pebbles, stones, or even boulders carried away by
fast moving water
b. Mixed with sand cause the rock to be bounded together by a natural cement
c. Coarse and chunky
What are some uses of sedimentary rocks?
Main Idea
Sedimentary rocks have many uses.
Supporting Details
1. Limestone is used to make chalk
2. Shale is used to make bricks and pottery
3. Shale and limestone combined are used to make cement
4. Bituminous coal can be burned for energy