Marine Sedimentation and Sea Floor Materials

Vocabulary flashcards covering marine sedimentation types, accumulation rates, and geological classification based on the Chapter 4 workshop and homework notes.

Red Clay

The inorganic component of pelagic sediment that accumulates on the deep-sea floor at an average rate of about $1\,mm$ per $1000\,years$.

Ooze

The organic component of pelagic sediment that typically accumulates at rates ten times faster than red clay.

Slurry

A mixture consisting of water and sediment.

Debris Flow

A mixture that may contain rock, gravel, water, sand, or clay.

Calcareous Oozes

Organic pelagic sediments containing the remains of zooplankton, such as foraminifera or pteropods, and phytoplankton.

Siliceous Oozes

Organic pelagic sediments containing mainly the remains of diatoms and other organisms.

Sandstone

The type of rock formed when sand is transformed under sufficient pressure.

Shale or Mudstone

The type of rock formed when mud is transformed under sufficient pressure.

Pelagic Sediment

Deep-sea deposits subdivided into an inorganic component (mostly red clay) and an organic component (ooze).

Ocean A Calcium Carbonate Threshold

The depth in Ocean A, approximately $4000\,metres$, below which there is a sharp reduction in calcium carbonate.

Bulk Emplacement

One of the three primary categories used to classify deep-sea deposits, alongside pelagic sediment.

Clay Mapping Color

The specific color (red) used on a depth profile to indicate the dominance of this sediment type in a core.

Ooze Mapping Color

The specific color (blue) used on a depth profile to indicate the dominance of this sediment type in a core.

Sand, Silt, or Terrigenous Clays Mapping Color

The specific color (yellow) used on a depth profile to indicate these sediment types in a core.

Volcanic Rock or Basalt Mapping Color

The specific color (black) used on a depth profile to indicate these materials in a core.