answers.input_text: short
answers.span_text: Sedimentary
questions: what type of rock dominates the earth's surface
name: Sedimentary rock
contexts: Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the deposition and subsequent cementation of that material at the Earth 's surface and within bodies of water . Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause mineral or organic particles ( detritus ) to settle in place . The particles that form a sedimentary rock by accumulating are called sediment . Before being deposited , the sediment was formed by weathering and erosion from the source area , and then transported to the place of deposition by water , wind , ice , mass movement or glaciers , which are called agents of denudation . Sedimentation may also occur as minerals precipitate from water solution or shells of aquatic creatures settle out of suspension .