Fine-grained sediment that accumulates on the floor of the open ocean
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Pelagic sediment or pelagite is a fine-grained sediment that accumulates as the result of the settling of particles to the floor of the open ocean, far from land. These particles consist primarily of either the microscopic, calcareous or siliceous shells of phytoplankton or zooplankton; clay-size siliciclastic sediment; or some mixture of these. Trace amounts of meteoric dust and variable amounts of volcanic ash also occur within pelagic sediments.
Based upon the composition of the ooze, there are three main types of pelagic sediments: siliceous oozes, calcareous oozes, and red clays.[1][2]
The composition of pelagic sediments is controlled by three main factors. The first factor is the distance from major landmasses, which affects their dilution by terrigenous, or land-derived, sediment. The second factor is water depth, which affects the preservation of both siliceous and calcareous biogenic particles as they settle to the ocean bottom. The final factor is ocean fertility, which controls the amount of biogenic particles produced in surface waters.[1][2]
^ abRothwell, R.G., (2005) Deep Ocean Pelagic Oozes, Vol. 5. of Selley, Richard C., L. Robin McCocks, and Ian R. Plimer, Encyclopedia of Geology, Oxford: Elsevier Limited. ISBN 0-12-636380-3
^ abHüNeke, H., and T. Mulder (2011) Deep-Sea Sediments. Developments in Sedimentology, vol. 63. Elsiever, New York. 849 pp. ISBN 978-0-444-53000-4
Pelagicsediment or pelagite is a fine-grained sediment that accumulates as the result of the settling of particles to the floor of the open ocean, far...
enough silica or carbonate sediment to dominate over clay. Carbonate sediments are derived from a wide range of near-surface pelagic organisms that make their...
The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean and can be further divided into regions by depth. The word pelagic is derived from Ancient...
Pelagic red clay, also known as simply red clay, brown clay or pelagic clay, is a type of pelagicsediment. Pelagic clay accumulates in the deepest and...
Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of...
(0.12 in) for pelagicsediment to several meters per year in portions of major river deltas. However, long-term accumulation of sediments is determined...
Hemipelagic sediments are deposited on continental shelves and continental rises, and differ from pelagicsediment compositionally. Pelagicsediment is composed...
centimetres (5.9–15.7 in) every millennium, much faster than deep-sea pelagicsediments. "Shelf seas" are the ocean waters on the continental shelf. Their...
Pelagic fish live in the pelagic zone of ocean or lake waters—being neither close to the bottom nor near the shore—in contrast with demersal fish that...
settle in place. The particles that form a sedimentary rock are called sediment, and may be composed of geological detritus (minerals) or biological detritus...
Sediment transport is the movement of solid particles (sediment), typically due to a combination of gravity acting on the sediment, and the movement of...
a type of biogenic pelagicsediment located on the deep ocean floor. Siliceous oozes are the least common of the deep sea sediments, and make up approximately...
a type of biogenic pelagicsediment located on the deep ocean floor. Siliceous oozes are the least common of the deep sea sediments, and make up approximately...
stability of a geochemically active layer that forms at the seabed. Pelagicsediment type and seabed bathymetry (or geomorphology) likely influence the...
Amorphous volcanic glass Rock flour – Glacier-generated sediment Siliceous ooze – Biogenic pelagicsediment located on the deep ocean floor Zeolite – Microporous...
submarine canyons into deeper water. The rest is composed chiefly of pelagicsediments. Metallic nodules are common in some areas of the plains, with varying...
fertilization, artificial upwelling, basalt storage, mineralization and deep-sea sediments, and adding bases to neutralize acids. However, none have achieved large...
hours of aggregate attachment. The dark ocean harbors around 65% of all pelagic Bacteria and Archaea.(Whitman et al., 1998) It was previously thought that...
animals are not preserved. Carbonate particles cannot accumulate in the sediments where the sea floor is below this depth. Calcite is the least soluble...
clay. Overlying the hemipelagic sediments, are alternating turbidites and thin beds of pelagicsediment. These sediments initially in filled irregularities...
used as one factor in evaluating a petroleum play. For marine surface sediments average TOC content is 0.5% in the deep ocean, and 2% along the eastern...
of paleoceanography and paleoclimatology, biogenous ooze and other pelagicsediments can be collected form the seafloor and used to reconstruct Earth's...
Cosmogenous sediment comes from extraterrestrial sources. Terrigenous sediment is the most abundant sediment found on the seafloor. Terrigenous sediments come...
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