Sementaation

Sementaation is a term with no widely standardized meaning in major reference works. In published material, it most often appears as a misspelling or variant of cementation, the diagenetic process in which dissolved minerals precipitate from groundwater and bind sediment grains to form rock.

In geology, cementation refers to the precipitation of minerals such as calcite, silica, or iron oxides in the pore spaces between sediment grains, producing a cemented matrix. The term sementaation, when used in this field, is typically a nonstandard spelling rather than a distinct concept, and readers are advised to interpret it as cementation based on context.

Outside geology, there is no established definition for sementaation. If encountered in technical or academic texts, it may reflect a neologism, a terminology proposal, or a typographical error, and the intended meaning should be determined from the surrounding discussion.

Origin and usage: The form appears to draw on the root cement and the common -ation suffix that names processes, producing a noun form that would denote a process of binding or consolidation. Because it is not widely recognized, it is considered nonstandard in established glossaries.

See also: cementation; lithification; diagenesis; sedimentary rock formation.