What are sedimentation and lithification?

Sedimentation is the mechanical process where suspended particles settle out of a fluid or gas under forces like gravity and come to rest. In geology, it represents the deposition of sediments that leads to the creation of sedimentary rock. Lithification is part of the broader range of sedimentary processes that turns these loose sediments into solid rock.

What we know

• Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments that takes place when suspended particles settle out of a fluid and come to rest against a barrier. [2]
• The forces causing particles to settle during sedimentation can include gravity, centrifugal acceleration, or electromagnetism. [1, 2]
• In geology, the strict definition of sedimentation is the mechanical deposition of sediment particles from an initial suspension in air or water. [2]
• In a broad geological sense, sedimentation encompasses the entire range of processes from initial erosion and transport to settling and the subsequent lithification of sediments into sedimentary rock. [2]

Where to go next

• what caused itHow does erosion precede sedimentation?
• what followedWhat kinds of sedimentary rock do these processes create?
• how it workedHow do particles settle out of fluids?
• the bigger pictureWhat are geological phenomena?
• a case in pointHow do folds form in sedimentary strata?
• an unexpected connectionHow do single molecules undergo sedimentation?Even though sedimentation is typically taught using large rocks or sand, solutions of single molecules like proteins and peptides experience sufficiently strong forces to undergo significant sedimentation.

Sources

• [1]sedimentation (Wikidata Q635485) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Sedimentation · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Fold (geology) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]List of geological phenomena · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Geology · CC BY-SA 4.0