sedimentary rock

Cultural  

1. Rock that has formed through the deposition and solidification of sediment, especially sediment transported by water (rivers, lakes, and oceans), ice (glaciers), and wind. Sedimentary rocks are often deposited in layers, and frequently contain fossils.

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Limestone and shale are common sedimentary rocks.

Example Sentences

For centuries, Lake Maracaibo’s environs were known for natural seepage of oil rising to the surface from sedimentary rock, a phenomenon also seen in sites like Los Angeles’ La Brea Tar Pits.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2026

Shale is, after all, the most common sedimentary rock and found all over the world.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

The Nanushuk Formation is an outcropped layer of sedimentary rock 800 to 5,000 feet thick across the central and western North Slope.

From Science Daily • Mar. 12, 2024

But which sedimentary rock is that metamorphic rock derived from, hmm?

From Slate • Jan. 12, 2024

The sedimentary rock of sandstone, shales, and marl, not only showed veins of ignitible lignite, but it was pierced by the trap which had been shot up from earth's flaming recesses.

From Overland by De Forest, J. W. (John William)