There are actually three processes that move sediment, all involving a fluid: flowing water, blowing wind (air is a fluid), and ice movement by glaciers (also a fluid). The viscosity of the fluid determines what size of particle will be moved. Because of its low viscosity, wind will only move clay to sand size particles. Glacial ice, on the other hand, has a very high viscosity and can move house-size rocks. The particle sizes moved by water falls in between the extremes of wind and glaciers.
Picking up sediment and moving it to another area is known as sediment transport.
The sediment transport by the rock cycle
Weathering is the process that changes rocks into soil, sand, and sediment through physical, chemical, or biological means. It involves the breakdown and alteration of rocks at or near the Earth's surface over time.
When layers of sediment are squeezed together to form rocks, it is called lithification. This process involves compaction and cementation of sediment particles to create solid rock formations.
Sediment is placed in a new location through the process of sedimentation, where particles settle out of suspension in water or air and accumulate on the ground or at the bottom of a body of water. This can also be facilitated by the actions of agents like wind, water, and ice which transport and deposit sediment in new locations.
Picking up sediment and moving it to another area is known as sediment transport.
The process that involves wind moving loose sediment is known as wind erosion. Wind erosion occurs when strong winds pick up and transport loose particles of soil or sand, which can lead to the formation of features such as sand dunes.
Deposition is the process of sediment settling out of a transporting medium (such as water or wind) and coming to rest on the ground. It is described as the opposite of erosion because erosion involves the movement and transport of sediment away from a location, while deposition involves the accumulation and settling of sediment at a location.
Picking up sediment and moving it to another area is known as sediment transport.
The process of moving sediment to other places is called sediment transport. It can occur through erosion, where sediments are lifted and carried by wind, water, or ice to be deposited in new locations. Sediment transport plays a key role in shaping landscapes and ecosystems.
Diagenesis is the process that involves burial compaction and cementation of sediment.
The process is called lithification, which involves the compaction and cementation of sediment to form sedimentary rock.
The movement of sediment by wind is called aeolian transport, by water is called fluvial transport, and by gravity is called mass wasting or sediment gravity flow. Each process plays a significant role in shaping landforms and transporting sediment across different environments.
The first step of the lithification process is compaction, which involves the pressing together of sediment grains to reduce pore space and increase the density of the sediment.
The sediment transport by the rock cycle
When water slows down, it loses its ability to transport sediment. As a result, the sediment will settle out of the water and accumulate on the riverbed or seafloor. This process is known as sedimentation.
The process that creates sedimentary rock from sediment is called lithification. This process involves compaction, where the weight of overlying sediments squeezes the sediment grains together, and cementation, where minerals in the groundwater crystallize and bind the sediment grains together to form solid rock.