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Cements and cementation

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Encyclopedia of Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Introduction

Cementation is the process of precipitation of mineral matter (cements) in pores within sediments or rocks. It is one of several processes, including mechanical and chemical compaction and mineral replacement, that constitute diagenesis and, taken collectively, produce progressive porosity reduction and lithification of sedimentary strata with increasing age and/or depth of burial. Cementation occurs in open intergranular or intragranular pores (i.e., between or within grains), and also takes place in larger openings such as vugs, caves or fractures. Cements even form crusts on surfaces at sediment-water or sediment-air interfaces. Precipitation of cements can occur at any stage from deposition, through burial, to uplift and re-exposure.

Cements occur in all types of siliciclastic, carbonate and evaporite strata and include an enormous variety of minerals. The most common cements are carbonates (especially calcite, aragonite, dolomite, and siderite), silicates (primarily...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, 801 Leroy Place, Socorro, NM, 87801, USA

    Peter A. Scholle

  2. Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, 801 Leroy Place, Socorro, NM, 87801, USA

    Dana Ulmer-Scholle

Authors
  1. Peter A. Scholle
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  2. Dana Ulmer-Scholle
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography and Geology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada

    Gerard V. Middleton

  2. Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T IZ2, Canada

    Michael J. Church

  3. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G I, Canada

    Mario Coniglio

  4. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA

    Lawrence A. Hardie

  5. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada

    Frederick J. Longstaffe

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© 1978 Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross, Inc.

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Scholle, P.A., Ulmer-Scholle, D. (1978). Cements and cementation. In: Middleton, G.V., Church, M.J., Coniglio, M., Hardie, L.A., Longstaffe, F.J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-3609-5_40

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-3609-5_40

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-0872-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-3609-5

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