Sedimentology interprets the production, transport, deposition and later modification of sediments. Fluid flow sorts grains through their settling speeds and the stress needed to entrain them; gravity-driven and ice-driven transport produce different combinations of textures and structures.
Grain size, layering, composition and geometry together constrain a deposit's environment. A river delta contains the history of sediment supply and flow into a basin, while lacustrine deposits record a lake setting. Later compaction, cementation and deformation must be distinguished from features formed during deposition.
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