Which of the following processes is NOT a part of lithification?

Lithification is the process through which sediments are transformed into solid rock, specifically sedimentary rock. This process generally includes compaction and cementation.

Compaction occurs when the weight of overlying sediments compresses the deeper sediments, which reduces pore space and helps turn loose sediments into a firmer material. Cementation follows, where minerals precipitate from groundwater and fill the spaces between sediments, binding them together into a solid mass.

Weathering, however, refers to the breaking down of rocks and minerals at the Earth’s surface due to various physical, chemical, and biological processes. While weathering is essential for the formation of sediments that may eventually undergo lithification, it is not a part of the lithification process itself. Instead, weathering is a precursor that creates the materials that lithification will later transform into rock. Thus, the identification of weathering as not being a part of lithification is distinguished by its role as a separate, earlier process in the rock cycle.