Final answer:
The most abundant mineral in lithogenous sediments is quartz (SiO2). Quartz is highly resistant to weathering, unlike minerals such as halite and gypsum, which are soluble and characteristic of evaporite deposits. Calcite and aragonite are more associated with biogenic sediments than lithogenous ones.
Step-by-step explanation:
The most abundant mineral in lithogenous sediments is quartz. Lithogenous sediments, also known as terrigenous sediments, are derived from the breakdown of rocks and are transported to the ocean by wind, water, ice, or gravity. These sediments are predominantly composed of silicate minerals, among which quartz (SiO2) stands out due to its high resistance to weathering.
Quartz is one of the most common minerals in the Earth's crust and is considered stable and insoluble in water, allowing it to accumulate as sediment after the less resistant minerals have been broken down and dissolved.
Other minerals mentioned such as halite (NaCl) and gypsum (CaSO4 ยท 2H2O) can also be found in lithogenous sediments but are more characteristic of evaporite deposits formed by the evaporation of water, leaving behind these soluble minerals, and are less abundant in lithogenous sediments relative to quartz.
Calcite (CaCO3) and aragonite, which are polymorphs of calcium carbonate, are more associated with biogenic sediments formed from the accumulations of shells and skeletal remains of marine organisms rather than lithogenous sediments. Quartz, with its durability, becomes the most prominent mineral in many lithogenous sedimentary deposits.