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Deposition (geology)

Deposition is the geological process in which sediments, soil and rocks are added to a landform or landmass. Wind, ice, water, and gravity transport previously weathered surface material, which, at the loss of enough kinetic energy in the fluid, is deposited, building up layers of sediment.

For broader coverage of this topic, see Sediment transport.

This occurs when the forces responsible for sediment transportation are no longer sufficient to overcome the forces of gravity and friction, creating a resistance to motion; this is known as the null-point hypothesis. Deposition can also refer to the buildup of sediment from organically derived matter or chemical processes. For example, chalk is made up partly of the microscopic calcium carbonate skeletons of marine plankton, the deposition of which induced chemical processes (diagenesis) to deposit further calcium carbonate. Similarly, the formation of coal begins with the deposition of organic material, mainly from plants, in anaerobic conditions.

π is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.

R is the radius of the spherical object (in m),

ρ is the mass density of the fluid (kg/m3),

g is the (m/s2),

gravitational acceleration

Cd is the drag coefficient, and

ws is the particle's settling velocity (in m/s).

 – Process of chemical precipitation bonding sedimentary grains

Cementation (geology)

 – Sedimentary rock strata at differing angles

Cross-bedding

 – Material of glacial origin

Drift (geology)

 – Process by which colloidal particles come out of suspension to precipitate as floc or flake

Flocculation

 – Sediment moved by the longshore current

Longshore drift

 – Alluvial geological deposit

Overbank

 – Rock formed by the deposition and cementation of particles

Sedimentary rock

 – Geologic structures formed during sediment deposition

Sedimentary structures

 – Process by which particulates move towards the bottom of a liquid and form a sediment

Settling

Shields parameter

- sediment sorting

Sorting

 – Equation for the velocity of a body in viscous fluid

Stokes' law

 – Geological deposits

Superficial deposits