sedimentological

Sedimentological is an adjective referring to sedimentology, the scientific study of sediments and sedimentary rocks. The field investigates the origin, transport, deposition, and post-depositional modification of particles derived from weathering and erosion. Sedimentary materials are described by grain size, composition, texture, sorting, and rounding, and are grouped into clastic, chemical, and biogenic categories. Sedimentary rocks form when loose sediments lithify through compaction, cementation, and mineral replacement (diagenesis).

Sedimentology covers processes of sediment transport in various environments, including rivers and streams, deserts (aeolian), lakes, coastal shores, deltas, and continental shelves, as well as deep seas. Sedimentary structures such as bedding, laminations, cross-bedding, grading, ripple marks, and mud cracks record flow regimes and depositional settings. Microscopic and chemical analyses (thin-section petrography, X-ray diffraction, and isotopic studies) help identify provenance, diagenetic history, and paleoenvironments.

Applications include natural-resource exploration and management, especially petroleum geology and groundwater, paleoclimate and tectonic reconstructions, and sedimentary petrology. Fieldwork combines mapping and stratigraphic logging with laboratory analyses to build facies models and stratigraphic columns. Growth in computational methods (facies modeling, sequence stratigraphy) enhances interpretation of sedimentary records.

Related terms include sedimentology, stratigraphy, lithology, and diagenesis.