1. Clastic Sedimentation: This is the most common way. It involves:

* Weathering: Rocks are broken down into smaller pieces (clasts) by wind, water, ice, or chemical reactions.

* Erosion: These clasts are transported by wind, water, or ice to a new location.

* Deposition: The clasts settle and accumulate, often in layers.

* Compaction: The weight of overlying sediments presses the clasts together.

* Cementation: Minerals dissolved in groundwater precipitate between the clasts, binding them together.

* Examples: Sandstone, shale, conglomerate

2. Chemical Precipitation:

* Dissolved minerals: Water carrying dissolved minerals becomes supersaturated and the minerals precipitate out of solution.

* Examples: Rock salt (halite), limestone (from calcium carbonate), rock gypsum

3. Organic Processes:

* Accumulation: The remains of living organisms (like shells, skeletons, plant matter) accumulate.

* Compaction and Cementation: Over time, these remains are compacted and cemented together.

* Examples: Coal (from plant matter), limestone (from shells), chalk (from microscopic marine organisms)