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

Companies drill wells for the gas and, in many cases, shoot water and chemicals into the sedimentary rock to force methane up to the surface where they collect it and pipe it to refineries.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 4, 2024

This extraordinary tower emerges from a rounded forested hill of sedimentary rock which rises six hundred feet above the plain; from the top of that the tower rises six hundred feet still higher.

From The Book of the National Parks by Yard, Robert Sterling