When looking at a geological timescale, typically ‘the deeper you dig, the older stuff gets’, right?
So, where does this buildup of new sediment come from?
I understand we’re talking about very large timeframes here, but I still dont really get it.
In: 19
One of the ways, which I studied and went to school for, is dust.
Aeolian processes, also spelled eolian,[1] pertain to wind activity in the study of geology and weather and specifically to the wind’s ability to shape the surface of the Earth (or other planets). Winds may erode, transport, and deposit materials and are effective agents in regions with sparse vegetation, a lack of soil moisture and a large supply of unconsolidated sediments. Although water is a much more powerful eroding force than wind, aeolian processes are important in arid environments such as deserts.[2]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolian_processes
Rain can actually capture fine particles and deposit into soil. And of course, rivers and body’s of water collect and deposit sediment. Ocean waves break down rock and deposit sand and mud and lime, which become sandstone, shale and limestone.
The science is called geomorphology, i.e. the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features created by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near Earth’s surface.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomorphology
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