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| Description: Seafloor Sediments Ocean floor is mantled with sediment Sources Turbidity currents Sediment that slowly settles to the bottom from above Thickness varies Thickest in trenches – accumulations may approach 10 kilometers Thickness varies Pacific Ocean – about 600 meters or less Atlantic Ocean – from 500 to 1000 meters thick Mud is the most common sediment on the deep-ocean floor Types of seafloor sediments Terrigenous sediment Material weathered from continental rocks Virtually every part of the ocean receives some Fine particles remain suspended for a long time Oxidation often produces red and brown colored sediments Types of seafloor sediments Biogenous sediment Shells and skeletons of marine animals and plants Most common are calcareous oozes produced from microscopic organisms that inhabit warm surface waters Siliceous oozes composed of skeletons of diatoms and radiolarians Phosphate rich materials derived from the bones, teeth, and scales of fish and other marine organisms Picture Stats: Views: 291 Filesize: 355.57kB Height: 932 Width: 1400 Source: https://biology-forums.com/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=39460 |