Today we are going to talk about a branch of geology that focuses on the study of sediments. It's about the sedimentology. This branch of science focuses on the study of sediments and their formation. Sediments are the deposits that form on the surface of the land and at the bottom of the sea. They can occur through various geological processes and are of great importance in changing the earth's geology.
Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you about all the characteristics and object of study of sedimentology.
Key features
Sediments They are the deposits that form on the surface of the land and the bottom of the sea. The formation of sediments in large parts depends on the physical and chemical actions present in the transition of the rock. For example, the atmosphere and the rock generate a relationship that, together with the water, are called exogenous processes. This is one of the reasons sediments are generated.
Most sedimentological processes occur due to the action of high pressures and temperatures. Sedimentology focuses on studying the wear of solid rocks, their transport and deposition. The deposition aims at the diagenesis of a sedimentary rockThis is where the name sedimentary rocks comes from. These are the accumulations of various sediments that occur to form a rock. This process must be measured on a geological time scale, since it cannot be measured on a human scale. We're talking about millions of years for the formation of these rocks.
Sediments are materials that have been deposited in water, by the action of ice, wind, or chemically precipitated by water. All of these sedimentary processes occur both on the Earth's surface and in water. Furthermore, to gain a deeper understanding of sedimentation processes, it is useful to explore the rock cycle and how this influences the flood of certain sediments.
Sedimentology processes
Sedimentary processes begin with the destruction of solid rocks caused by the action of various types of geological agents. Briefly, these processes are: weathering, erosion, and the transport of a medium such as water, wind, and ice. They can also be formed by deposition or precipitation And finally, diagenesis, which is the formation of solid rocks. The sedimentary processes studied in sedimentology are very complex and depend on many factors.
The main study objective of sedimentology plays a fundamental role in the field of science. The economic interest in some deposits in the sedimentary environment is a more traditional field of sedimentology. Especially it happens with salt, gravel, sand and coal. There are also countless metal deposits of sedimentary origin, such as wash basins. Therefore, sedimentology is key to understanding the environment and the manifestation of certain types of pollution, such as that in rivers and oceans. To investigate pollution, such as that in a river system, one must first understand how rivers function, and particularly a polluted river. Sediment deposition is fundamental here. For more information on how geological agents influence these systems, see the article on geological agents.
Within sedimentology we find geotechnics. Especially focuses on studying the stability of the soils and is an extremely important field before any civil work. If a building is to be constructed, the long-term stability of the soil must be assessed. The high technical complexity of many large projects such as tunnels, bridges, reservoirs, highways, and skyscrapers requires an exhaustive study of the subsoil. The completion of these projects and their absence of any risk depend on all of this. To further explore their relationship with the earthquakes, it is interesting to consider how these can alter sedimentology.
Geological hazards are associated with sedimentary processes. For example, the threat of landslides should be of concern to anyone in a relevant position in the planning of a country, region, or community. Landslides are large avalanches of mud and mud that occur when rain washes away all the sediments and they accumulate, causing avalanches. Flooding and erosion from torrential waters in natural or channeled rivers They are phenomena of greater importance that can be studied in sedimentology.
It also focuses on studying groundwater. The behavior of all the places where there is underground water storage mainly coincides with some sedimentological parameters. Nowadays it is not only important to know the abundance of water in the underground channels, but also the quality of this natural resource.
Geological processes of sedimentology
We mentioned earlier that the main geological processes begin with the destruction of parent rock. This can be caused by geological agents such as weathering, transport, and sedimentation. Finally, diagenesis, which is the formation of rock, occurs. Let's take a closer look at these geological processes.
Weathering
Weathering is divided into physical and chemical, and let's see what each of them is:
- Physical weathering: it is a process that breaks or modifies rocks depending on their action and environmental conditions. They are capable of fragmenting and disintegrating them. They also act on minerals. The most frequent causes of physical weathering are rain, ice, thaw, wind, and continuous changes in temperature between day and night.
- Chemical weathering: It occurs primarily in humid climates and causes chemical reactions between atmospheric gases and the minerals present in rocks. In this case, what happens is the disintegration of these particles. Water and the presence of gases such as oxygen and hydrogen trigger chemical reactions, causing weathering.
Erosion and transport in sedimentology
Erosion occurs when rain, wind, and water flows act on rocks. This causes them to continuously fragment and deform. Transportation is the process resulting from erosion. All fragments and sediments broken up by erosion are transported by torrents of water, glaciers, and wind.
Sedimentation is the final step and corresponds to the deposition of solid particles that have been transported by erosion. These particles are called sediments. The areas with the highest amount of sediment are the mouths of rivers and in places like the seas and oceans. Sediments once deposited are, in turn, removed by other geological agents such as erosion and weathering. If these sediments acquire large size and compaction over the years, sedimentary rocks are formed.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about sedimentology and its characteristics.