Studies of sedimentary rocks provide such diverse information as indications of climate change, local and world-wide changes in sea level, and evolution of life during earth history. As noted in previous lectures, sedimentary rocks may be grouped as clastic, chemical or biochemical. In this and the following lecture we will discuss the mechanisms that cause weathered mineral and rock materials to be transported and deposited in sedimentary environments. For example, these parameters would vary greatly for a stream in spring flood versus the same stream in the mid summer dry season. Most of the foregoing material has been general with respect to the type of fluid involved in the transport of sediment.
Lets look at how different fluids can affect sediment transport.