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.

---

Discover More

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

This basin is filled with kilometers of looser sedimentary rock which make seismic ground shaking stronger, and the new data can help scientists make more accurate models of future ground shaking in the area.

From Science Daily • Feb. 6, 2024

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

From Slate • Jan. 12, 2024

Of course, such seams, marking the stratification of snow, are as permanent and indelible as the seams of coarser materials alternating with the finest mud in a sedimentary rock.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 12, No. 74, December, 1863 by Various