What is the process of lithification?

Answer 1

During early deposition (assuming a sediment), the sediment will de-water, and many of the clay particles will flatten.

As / (if) the mass of sediment becomes more buried, it will heat up from the Earth's internal heat (if deep enough), and this will enable the existing minerals to re-form into new ones which have greater density and larger size, consistent with the available chemical reactions.

At this point your sample will have passed through the slate stage, and with metamorphic processes will be on its way to be a banded sandstone, or a schist, depending on the fineness of the material. The new minerals formed may be quite significant, and depending on the degree of heat, it may melt some of the new minerals to form quartz veins. Or if you're lucky some mineral veins of economic importance. Garnets may form.

[If your starting material was limestone, you may now have a marble.]

As your new rock type gradually cools, each new mineral will crystallize at its appropriate temperature, and the micas will be among the last to form. The age of the micas may be taken as the age of the formation.

If your new rock contains magnetizable grains, these may align themselves with the Earth's magnetic field at that time.

Answer 2

The second step in the process of lithification is to remove the connate fluids from the rock. These fluids are trapped in the pores of the compacted sedimentary rocks.

Answer 3

Compaction, followed by cementation.

Answer 4

Forming sedimentary rock

Answer 5

Compaction