Sedimentary rockSedimentary rock BooksSedimentary rocks or sedimentary rocks are rocks that form on the surface of the earth under conditions of low temperature and pressure. These rocks originate from rocks that were formed earlier, which experience weathering, erosion, and then weathering is transported by water, air, or ice, which are then deposited and accumulate in depositional basins, forming sediments. These sedimentary materials then compact, harden, undergo lithification, and form sedimentary rocks.Sedimentary rocks cover 75% of the earth's surface. It is estimated that sedimentary rocks make up 8% of the total volume of the earth's crust.The study of the sequence of sedimentary rock strata is a major source for scientific knowledge about Earth's history, including paleogeography, paleoclimatology and the history of life. The scientific discipline that studies the properties and origin of sedimentary rocks is called sedimentology. Sedimentology is a subset of both geology and physical geography and overlaps in part with other disciplines in the earth sciences, such as pedology, geomorphology, geochemistry and structural geology.