weathered fragments of stones are compacted and cemented together. The process begins when rocks, minerals and organic materials — such as shells — are broken down into bits and transported to a new ...

To solve the mystery, the team crushed the rocks into fragments and extracted microscopic zircon crystals. These crystals, smaller than a pen tip, act like time capsules. Their age and chemistry ...

which can then blast the sides of nearby rocks, buffing and polishing them smooth. On the seashore, the action of waves chips away at cliffs and rakes the fragments back and forth into fine sand.

As a geologist, though, I think that the rocks beneath our feet offer even ... cycle to turn the second pile of sedimentary rock fragments into another conglomerate. In other words, this one ...

Shock waves also cause a lot of damage to rocks. They may break into fragments and get ejected high into the atmosphere and even into space, leaving behind a bowl-shaped crater. Eventually the ...