CHAPTER 6 Sedimentary Rocks
164
Spit
Sand dunes
Beach
Lake
Lake
Estuary
Turbidity current
Deep-sea
fans
FIGURE 6.18 Sedimentary environments are
those places where sediment accumulates.
Each is characterized by certain physical,
chemical, and biological conditions.
Because each sediment contains clues
about the environment in which it was
deposited, sedimentary rocks are
important in the interpretation of Earth
history. A number of important
continental, transitional, and marine
sedimentary environments are
represented in this idealized diagram.
(Lake photo by JonArnoldImages/www.
DanitaDelimont; Alluvial Fan photo by
Marli Miller, Swamp photo by Raymond
Gehman/National Geographic; all others
by E. J. Tarbuck)