course hero what is the difference between chemical and detrital sedimentary rocks?

by Hallie Johnston Sr. 3 min read

The key difference between chemical and detrital sedimentary rocks is that the formation of chemical sedimentary rocks does not involve direct mechanical weathering, whereas the formation of detrital sedimentary rocks involves direct mechanical weathering. Sedimentary rock is formed from pre-existing rocks or pieces of once-living organisms.

Full Answer

What is the difference between chemical and detrital sedimentary rocks?

Limestone, dolomite, chert, etc. are examples of chemical sedimentary rocks while sand and gravel are examples of detrital sedimentary rocks. Below is a summary of the difference between chemical and detrital sedimentary rocks in tabular form.

What is a sedimentary rock?

Explore the features in formation of these two sedimentary rocks, different kinds of sedimentary rocks, and methods of categorization. Updated: 09/28/2021 Sedimentary rocks are like clues that geologists use to piece together the past. For example, sedimentary rocks may hold fossils that reveal past life forms.

What is a detrital rock?

Detrital rocks are sometimes referred to as clastic sedimentary rocks because they are made up of clasts or rock fragments. The word 'detrital' actually means 'rubbing away,' and we see that detrital rocks form when pre-existing rocks are rubbed away or weathered by forces such as water, ice and wind, leaving behind smaller rock fragments.

How many types of sedimentary rocks are there?

There are two major types of sedimentary rocks as chemical and detrital or clastic sedimentary rocks.

What's the difference between detrital and chemical sedimentary rock?

Detrital or clastic sedimentary rocks form by the transportation and deposition of sediment and rock fragments. Chemical sedimentary rocks form by the transportation and precipitation of ions in a solution. Most sedimentary rocks have elements formed by both detrital and chemical processes.

What is the difference between a detrital sediment and a chemical sediment?

The key difference between chemical and detrital sedimentary rocks is that the formation of chemical sedimentary rocks does not involve direct mechanical weathering, whereas the formation of detrital sedimentary rocks involves direct mechanical weathering.

What is the difference between chemical and clastic sedimentary rocks?

Clastic sedimentary rocks are made of sediments. The sediments differ in size. Chemical sedimentary rocks are made of minerals that precipitate from saline water. Organic sedimentary rocks are made from the bodies of organisms.

What are detrital sedimentary rocks?

DETRITAL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS - rocks that form from transported solid material. Detritus - Latin for "worn down." Solid rock fragments in sediment are defined by size of the fragments: largest to smallest: BOULDERS, COBBLES, PEBBLES, SAND, SILT, and CLAY.

What is chemical sedimentary rock?

Any sedimentary rock that forms, as sediments settle out of a solution, is called a chemical sedimentary rock. Sediments can settle out of a solution either by the liquid in the solution evaporating, or by too much of the sediment dissolving in the solution (called supersaturation).

What is the difference between clastic and detrital?

Detrital is usually used synonymously with clastic, although a few authors differentiate between weathering of particles, which forms detrital sediments, and mechanical breakage, which produces clastic sediments.

What is the difference between clastic and non clastic sedimentary rocks?

Terms in this set (26) Clastic rocks are made out of eroded fragments, hard. Non clastic rocks are made out of sediments that weren't clasts of rock, smooth.

What do chemical and detrital sedimentary rocks have in common?

What do chemical and detrital sedimentary rocks have in common? Both involve water in their formation.

What are detrital sedimentary rocks made of?

1) Clastic (detrital) sedimentary rocks are composed of the solid products of weathering (gravel, sand, silt, and clay) cemented together by the dissolved weathering products.

What are examples of chemical sedimentary rocks?

The most common chemical sedimentary rock, by far, is limestone . Others include chert , banded iron formation , and evaporites . Biological processes are important in the formation of some chemical sedimentary rocks, especially limestone and chert.

Where do chemical sedimentary rocks form?

Chemical sedimentary rocks can be found in many places, from the ocean to deserts to caves. For instance, most limestone forms at the bottom of the ocean from the precipitation of calcium carbonate and the remains of marine animals with shells.

What do chemical and detrital sedimentary rocks have in common?

What do chemical and detrital sedimentary rocks have in common? Both involve water in their formation.

What are detrital minerals?

Any mineral grain resulting from mechanical disintegration of parent rock; esp. a heavy mineral found in a sediment or weathered and transported from a vein or lode and found in a placer or alluvial deposit. Ref: AGI.

What are detrital sedimentary rocks made of?

1) Clastic (detrital) sedimentary rocks are composed of the solid products of weathering (gravel, sand, silt, and clay) cemented together by the dissolved weathering products.

What are examples of chemical sedimentary rocks?

The most common chemical sedimentary rock, by far, is limestone . Others include chert , banded iron formation , and evaporites . Biological processes are important in the formation of some chemical sedimentary rocks, especially limestone and chert.

What is the difference between chemical and detrital sedimentary rocks?

The key difference between chemical and detrital sedimentary rocks is that the formation of chemical sedimentary rocks does not involve direct mechanical weathering, whereas the formation of detrital sedimentary rocks involves direct mechanical weathering.

What is chemical sedimentary rock?

Chemical sedimentary rocks are a type of sedimentary rocks formed from processes that do not directly involve mechanical weathering and erosion. However, chemical weathering can contribute to dissolved materials in water, which can cause the formation of this type of rocks. The most common type of chemical sedimentary rock is limestone, ...

What are the two types of sedimentary rocks?

There are two major types of sedimentary rocks as chemical and detrital or clastic sedimentary rocks. The key difference between chemical and detrital sedimentary rocks is that the formation of chemical sedimentary rocks does not involve e direct mechanical weathering, whereas the formation of detrital sedimentary rocks involves direct mechanical ...

How are sedimentary rocks formed?

Sedimentary rock is formed from pre-existing rocks or pieces of once-living organisms. These rocks form through the depositions that get accumulated on the Earth’s surface and often have distinctive layering or bedding. There are two types of chemical and sedimentary rocks known as clastic and chemical sedimentary rocks.

What type of sedimentary rock is most common in shallow seawater?

The most common type of chemical sedimentary rock is limestone, which contains the mineral calcite. These rocks form through biochemical processes that take place in shallow seawater. Limestone frequently gets converted into dolomite or dolostones during stages of compaction, dewatering, and lithification of limestone.

What type of rock is formed in pockets or voids that contain gas or organic matter that has been removed or de

This is a hard and glassy sedimentary rock containing silica that precipitates from water. This rock is formed in pockets or voids that contain gas or organic matter that has been removed or decomposed with time. In addition, this rock type can occur as continuous layers in sedimentary rocks.

What is the process of removing calcium from limestone?

This process involves the removal of calcium from limestone by magnesium-containing solutions, and this involves the replacement of calcium with magnesium. Another type of chemical sedimentary rock is cherts. This is a hard and glassy sedimentary rock containing silica that precipitates from water.

What are detrital sedimentary rocks made of?

So, you can say that detrital sedimentary rocks are composed of rock fragments that have been weathered from pre-existing rocks. Because these rocks are created by the breakdown of other rocks, they are the most common rocks we see on the surface of the earth.

What is a detrital rock?

Detrital or clastic sedimentary rocks are composed of rock fragments. They are different than chemical sedimentary rocks, which are composed of mineral crystals. Learn how these sedimentary rocks differ in their formation and composition. Updated: 12/13/2019.

What are some examples of minerals found in rocks that form from the evaporation of water?

Rock salt or halite and gypsum are examples of minerals found in rocks that form from the evaporation of water. Learning Outcomes. After you have finished with this lesson, you should be able to: Describe detrital sedimentary rocks. Identify different detrital rocks as classified by the size of their grain.

What is the most common rock on Earth?

They are the most common rocks on the surface of the earth. Detrital sedimentary rocks are mainly classified by the size of their grain. The largest grain is a boulder, followed by a cobble, a pebble, sand, silt and finally the finest grain, which is clay.

What happens when sedimentary rocks are dissolved?

One way this can happen is if a body of water becomes so saturated with minerals that the minerals no longer fit and there are too many for all of them to remain dissolved.

What happens when water evaporates?

If you have a body of water that has a high mineral content and that water evaporates, the minerals will be left behind to form evaporite minerals and rocks. Rock salt or halite is an example of a mineral found in rocks that forms from the evaporation of water. Rock salt forms from the evaporation of salty water.

What is the name of the rock that contains grains larger than sand?

If you have silt-sized grains cemented together, you have siltstone. If you have sand-sized grains cemented together, you have sandstone. If you have rock that contains grains larger than sand, you have conglomerate if it contains large rounded grains and breccia if it contains angular grains.