In geology, cementation is the process of deposition of dissolved mineral components in the interstices of sediments. It is an important factor in the consolidation of coarse-grained clastic sedimentary rocks such as sandstones, conglomerates, or breccias during diagenesis or lithification. Cementing materials may include silica, carbonates, iron oxides, or clay minerals. Geology (from Greek γη- (ge-, the earth) and λογος (logos, word, reason)) is the science and study of the Earth, its composition, structure, physical properties, history, and the processes that shape it. ... This article is about minerals in the geologic sense; for nutrient minerals see dietary mineral; for the band see Mineral (band). ... Two types of sedimentary rock: limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... Sandstone near Stadtroda, Germany Sandstone is an sedimentary rock composed mainly of feldspar and quartz and varies in colour (in a similar way to sand), through grey, yellow, red, and white. ... A mineral conglomerate In geology, a conglomerate is a rock consisting of other stones that have been cemented together. ... Breccia, derived from the Latin word for broken, is a sedimentary rock composed of angular fragments in a matrix that may be of a similar or a different material. ... In geology, diagenesis refers to all the chemical, physical, and biological changes undergone by a sediment after its initial deposition and during and after its lithification, exclusive of surface alteration (weathering). ... Lithification, from the Greek word lithos meaning rock, is the process whereby sediments compact under pressure, expel connate fluids, and gradually become solid rock. ... The chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is the oxide of silicon, chemical formula SiO2. ... Carbonate is an anion with a charge of -2 and an empirical formula of CO32-. For an aqueous solution, carbonate exists in three forms. ... Iron oxide pigment There are a number of iron oxides: Iron oxides Iron(II) oxide or ferrous oxide (FeO) The black-coloured powder in particular can cause explosions as it readily ignites. ... Clay is a generic term for an aggregate of hydrous silicate particles less than 4 μm (micrometres) in diameter. ...

Cementation is also continually going on in the ground water zone, so much so that the term "zone of cementation" is sometimes used interchangeably. Cementation occurs in fissures or other openings of existing rocks and is a dynamic process more or less in equilibrium with a dissolution or dissolving process. Groundwater is any water found below the land surface. ...

In metallurgy, cementation is the process by which one substance is caused to penetrate and change the character of another by the action of heat below the melting points of the substances. See: carburizing, nitriding, calorizing, sherardizing, chromizing, and siliconizing. Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and of materials engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements and their mixtures, which are called alloys. ... Carburization is the name of the process by which carbon is introduced into a metal. ...

See also: cement In the general sense, a cement (Latin caementum) is any material with adhesive properties. ...