Here's a breakdown:

* Sediment: Loose particles of rock, minerals, and organic matter.

* Lithification: The process of turning loose sediments into solid rock.

Lithification involves several steps:

1. Compaction: As sediments accumulate, the weight of the overlying material compresses the sediments, squeezing out water and air.

2. Cementation: Dissolved minerals in the water within the sediment precipitate out and crystallize between the sediment grains, binding them together.

The specific minerals involved in cementation determine the type of rock formed. Common cementing minerals include:

* Calcite: forms limestone

* Quartz: forms sandstone

* Clay minerals: forms shale

Lithification can take millions of years to occur, but it's a fundamental process in the rock cycle, continuously creating new rocks from old ones.