Sedimentation is the tendency for
particles in
suspension to settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the forces acting on them: these forces can be due to
gravity,
centrifugal acceleration, or
electromagnetism. In geology, sedimentation is often used as the opposite of erosion, i.e., the terminal end of
sediment transport. In that sense, it includes the termination of transport by
saltation or true
bedload transport.
Settling is the falling of suspended particles through the liquid, whereas sedimentation is the termination of the settling process.