Chapter 14: Sediments Oceanography 2014 Vocabulary Stratigraphy
Evaporites Terrigenous Sediments (Lithogenous)
Cosmogenous Sediments Diatomaceous Earth Biogenous Sediments Grain
Size Calcareous Ooze Mud Siliceous Ooze Well Sorted Sediment
Hydrogenous Sediments Root Words Terra- Hydro- Bio- Cosmo-
Sedimentation Sedimentation: the accumulation of sediments
Weathering: process of breaking down rocksto create sediments
Erosion: movement of sediments by wind,gravity, or water Sediment
Classification
Sediments are classified by grain size and origin Grain Size: from
largest (coarse) to smallest (fine) is gravel, sand, silt, andclay
Mud = silt + clay Loam = sand + silt + clay Origin: land,
organisms, chemicals, volcanoes, and space (see table) Poorly
sorted sediment: sample contains a mixture ofsediment sizes. Well
sorted sediment: sample contains similar or same sizedparticles.
Origin of Sediments Type Origin Composition Location
Terrigenous
From land by rivers, glaciers, & wind Quartz and feldspar (sand
and mud) Rivers: temperate regions All: continental shelves
Biogenous Organisms, Shells,& skeletons Carbon based;
calcium-type (calcareous ooze) and silicon-type (siliceous ooze)
Tropical continental shelves and deep sea Hydrogenous Chemicals
including biochemicals Ferromanganese nodules; phosphorites
(organic debris from upwelling) Deep sea deposits; continental
shelves Volcanogenic Volcanic eruptions Cosmogenic Particles that
fall from space Sediment Classifications
Grain Size Example Clay
