417 words used in the labs.

Find a term from the labs, understand the process behind it, and see how it appears in the landscape. Each entry connects an explanation with a real observation and a model you can explore.

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Term

Sedimentary

Describing rock formed from accumulated sediment or from chemical or biological precipitation. Clastic sediments commonly become rock through compaction and cementation. Bedding, grains and fossils can preserve evidence of the depositional environment.

What to look for

Grand Canyon from Hopi Point, Arizona. Resistant beds form steps and cliffs above valleys cut by running water.

Related labs

Rock cycle →

Mark understood

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Explore further with USGS water glossary · USGS volcano glossary · NPS glacial geology · NASA Earth facts. Photograph acknowledgements are collected on the Image credits page.