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

A slab of sedimentary rock was covered in a wrinkled texture that looked strikingly like elephant skin.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

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

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

From Slate • Jan. 12, 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