ENE Exam 2 Practice

Bedding is the layered arrangement formed by successive episodes of sediment deposition in sedimentary rocks. In a simple rock sketch with three labels arranged left to right, the central annotation is typically taken to mark this main stratification because bedding represents the fundamental, continuous planar feature that runs through the rock mass and shows the overall layering pattern. Other terms point to different structural or metamorphic features: an axial plane relates to a fold’s symmetry and would be associated with folding geometry rather than the main layering; cleavage planes reflect metamorphic fabric from mineral alignment, not the original sedimentary layering; a contact marks the boundary between different rock types, which is a discrete feature rather than the pervasive layering. Thus, the middle annotation corresponds to bedding.