"Sand is overrated. It's just tiny little rocks." Though Joel Barrish believed such absurdity in the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, we are well aware today that marine sediments provide profound insights to the beauty and complexities of the world's oceans (Universal Studios, 2004).
Marine sediments reveal much of Earth's history and offer an explanation of how and why oceans have developed over time. Sediments contribute information about ocean circulation patterns, ocean floor movement, climates of ancient years, and the variety of nutrient supplies that marine organisms survive off.
Sediments are either organic or inoranic particles that eventually accumulate in loose forms. They undergo lithification, which produces sedimentary rocks. More than fifty percent of the rocks seen on land are sedimentary rocks that have been deposited in oceans long ago and were later uplifted by powerful plate tectonic movements. Transported to the ocean, they are generally deposited by settling through water columns. Larger particles require greater amounts of energy to be transported and are the result of either storm deposits or tsunamis. Smaller particles only need small amounts of energy.
Sources of sediments include living organisms, outer space, dissolved minerals, and worn rock fragments. Scientists often use sediment texture, as well as mineral composition as clues to where sediments are originally from.
Marine sediments reveal much of Earth's history and offer an explanation of how and why oceans have developed over time. Sediments contribute information about ocean circulation patterns, ocean floor movement, climates of ancient years, and the variety of nutrient supplies that marine organisms survive off.
Sediments are either organic or inoranic particles that eventually accumulate in loose forms. They undergo lithification, which produces sedimentary rocks. More than fifty percent of the rocks seen on land are sedimentary rocks that have been deposited in oceans long ago and were later uplifted by powerful plate tectonic movements. Transported to the ocean, they are generally deposited by settling through water columns. Larger particles require greater amounts of energy to be transported and are the result of either storm deposits or tsunamis. Smaller particles only need small amounts of energy.
Sources of sediments include living organisms, outer space, dissolved minerals, and worn rock fragments. Scientists often use sediment texture, as well as mineral composition as clues to where sediments are originally from.