1. Study Guide available! Web site (dusk.geo.orst.edu/oceans) Go to the syllabus page and click on the Study Guide for Test#1

2. Lecture 8: Marine Sediments Lecture 8: Marine Sediments What’s all that muck at the bottom of the ocean, and what’s it good for?

3. Marine Sediments are: F Particles of various sizes derived from a variety of sources that are deposited on the ocean floor F A vast “library” recording geologic, oceanographic and climatic conditions F Remarkably complete compared to land

4. Where do these come from? F Inputs are: -- rivers -- atmosphere -- surface waters -- volcanoes (both on land and submarine) -- deep ocean water -- outer space

5. Classifications F By Size Clay -- Silt -- Sand -- Pebble -- Cobble 0.001 mm 1 mm 100 mm F Effects of water velocity on transport: rivers and near-shore vs open ocean

6. Sediment Transport Figure 4-1 Fluid velocity determines the size of the particles that can be moved

7. Size Sorting

8. Classifications F By Origin Biogenous Terrigenous Hydrogenous Cosmogenous

9. Terrigenous sediments (from land) F Rivers F Winds (eolian) F Glaciers (ice-rafted debris, IRD) F Turbidites F Sea level changes

10. River sediment loads (10 6 tons/yr) Figure 4-9b

11. Glacial (Ice-rafted debris) Figure 4-12a

12. Turbidites u Rapidly-accumulated terrestrial sediments u Earthquake-triggered submarine avalanches (turbidity currents) u High velocity (~50 mph!), erosive events u Good examples preserved on Mary’s Peak

13. Continental shelf Submarine canyons (cut into the c. slope) Abyssal plain Continental rise Continental slope Seafloor Features: Continental Margins Abyssal plain

14. Turbidity Currents (avalanches)

15. Sea Level Changes Figure 4-3b

16. Biogenous sediments (from living things) F Calcareous (CaCO 3 ) Foraminifera -- animals Coccolithophores -- plants F Siliceous (SiO 2 ) Radiolaria -- animals Diatoms -- plants

17.  m = micron = millionth of a meter!

21. Productivity = skeletons and soft tissue u Accumulation depends on production and preservation u SiO 2 is preserved everywhere u CaCO 3 is variable, depending on P, T, pH

22. Carbonate Compensation Depth

23. F The depth at which carbonate input from the surface waters is balanced by dissolution in corrosive deep waters F In today’s ocean this depth (CCD) varies between 3 km (polar) and 5 km (tropical) F Thus, accumulation rates vary a lot!

24. Accumulation Rates for Oozes F Productivity –reproduction of planktonic organisms F Preservation –silica dissolves only very slowly –calcium carbonate varies with depth F Rates are variable: <1 to 15mm/1000 yr

25. Coastal waters are often highly productive, with abundant planktonic organisms thriving in the surface waters. Why then are biogenous oozes rarely found nearshore?? F Do biogenous sediments dissolve readily at shallow depths on the continental shelf? NO F Do plankton species in coastal waters lack skeletons? NO F Are planktonic organisms consumed by large organisms, preventing deposition of skeletons? NO

26. RIVERS!!!! The large input of terrigenous sediment to the continental margin overwhelms the biogenous component in the sediment. YES The large input of terrigenous sediment to the continental margin overwhelms the biogenous component in the sediment. YES

27. Hydrogenous (from sea water) F Metalliferous sediments at spreading ridges F Manganese nodules F Evaporites -- Salt deposits

28. baseball to bowling ball size!

29. Cosmogenous (from outer space) F Meteorites and comets

30. Sediment Accumulation Figure 4-9a

31. Sediment Succession Figure 4-17

32. Distribution of Marine Sediments Figure 4-16a

33. Global Ocean Drilling

34. Ocean Drilling F International program (20 nations; began 1968) F 2-month cruises F Deepest hole: 2 km But, new vessel will drill to >6km!