• Question: What is Sedimentary Rock made of?

    Asked by Bradley to Christie, Dan, David, Dawn, Sian on 20 Jun 2016.
    • Photo: Christie Waddington

      Christie Waddington answered on 20 Jun 2016:

      Sedimentary rocks are made up of all sorts, it depends on what settles at the bottom. The different rocks/particles (sediment) settle and get squashed until they’re really compact. The water is eventually squeezed out of it and rock and crystals of salts in the sediment begin to form. These crystals act as a glue and cement the rocks/particles together, forming sedimentary rock. This whole process takes millions of years to form and 75% of the earth’s surface is sedimentary rock.

      Some examples of materials used to make sedimentary rock include pebbles, sand, silt, calcium sulphate, salt, calcium carbonate, remains of ancient plants and animals and silica, to name but a few!

    • Photo: Sian Thomas

      Sian Thomas answered on 20 Jun 2016:

      Yes, sedimentary rock is a great place to look for fossils. Sometimes you can see the plants or animals that became part of the sediment preserved forever for us to find.

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