Lithification (from the Ancient Greek word lithos meaning 'rock' and the Latin-derived suffix -ific) is how sediments compact under pressure, expel connate fluids and gradually become solid rock. Essentially, lithification is a process of porosity destruction through compaction and cementation. Lithification includes all the processes which convert unconsolidated sediments into sedimentary rocks. Though often used as a synonym, petrifaction is more specifically used to describe the replacement of organic material by silica in the formation of fossils.[1]
See also[]
- Diagenesis
- Parent rock
- Weathering
References[]
- ↑ Monroe, J.S.; Wicander, R.; Hazlett, R.W. (2006). Physical Geology: Exploring the Earth (6th ed.). Belmont: Thomson. pp. 203–204. ISBN 9780495011484 ISBN 9780495011484.
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