diagenesis

[ dahy-uh-jen-uh-sis ]

noun

, Geology.

1. the physical and chemical changes occurring in sediments between the times of deposition and solidification.

diagenesis

/ ˌdaɪəˈdʒɛnɪsɪs; ˌdaɪədʒəˈnɛtɪk /

noun

1. the sum of the physical, chemical, and biological changes that take place in sediments as they become consolidated into rocks, including compaction and cementation, but excluding weathering and metamorphic changes
2. chem recrystallization of a solid to form large crystal grains from smaller ones

diagenesis

/ dī′ə-jĕn′ĭ-sĭs /

1. The process by which sediment undergoes chemical and physical changes during its lithification (conversion to rock). Compaction, leaching, cementation, and recrystallization are all forms of diagenesis. Erosion and metamorphism are not. Oil, gas, and coal form through the diagenesis of organic sedimentary matter.

Derived Forms

• diagenetic, adjective

Other Words From

• di·a·ge·net·ic [dahy-, uh, -j, uh, -, net, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of diagenesis¹

From New Latin, dating back to 1885–90; dia-, -genesis

Example Sentences

Petrography, diagenesis and provenance of Eocene Tyee Basin sandstones, southern Oregon Coast Range: new view from sequence stratigraphy.

From Nature

The lowest δ18OW and temperature are computed for recent clay samples from Antarctica, and for 2.5–2.2-Gyr-old synglacial Palaeoproterozoic shales, confirming the participation of low-δ18Ow synglacial waters in diagenesis, as proposed previously14.

From Nature

The absence of predicted geochemical variations indicates that magnetite and phyllosilicates formed by diagenesis under low-temperature, circumneutral pH, rock-dominated aqueous conditions.

From Science Magazine

First, they doubt that nannofossil paleofluxes trace carbonate productivity, due to modifications by dissolution during transport and burial, sediment dilution, and diagenesis.

From Science Magazine

Diagenesis had an impact on the oxygen isotope composition, but we exclude that observed high-amplitude changes are caused by diagenesis.

From Science Magazine