10 Questions
What percentage of the Earth's surface is covered by the ocean?
71%
What type of deposits are formed from the skeletal remains of ocean organisms?
Biogenous deposits
What is the term for the slow and steady accumulation of dead plankton on the seafloor?
Marine snowfall
What is the primary factor that controls the supply of sediment to the ocean?
Climatic control
What is the term for the process of iceberg calving contributing to the transport of sediment to the ocean?
Ice rafting
What type of foraminifera is found on the ocean floor?
Benthic foraminifera
What is the term for the oxygen isotope ratio that is used to measure ocean temperatures and global ice volume?
Oxygen-16/Oxygen-18 ratio
What is the term for the glacial-interglacial cycling of the Earth's climate system?
Quaternary climate change
What is the term for the process of using species assemblages to reconstruct past climates?
Species assemblage techniques
What is the term for the long, detailed records of Quaternary climate change that are provided by oxygen isotope ratios?
Globally-applicable reference stratigraphy
Study Notes
Ocean Coverage and Sedimentation
- Oceans cover 71% of the Earth's surface
- Sedimentary records are obtained by taking samples from the seafloor using tools like the Calypso giant piston corer
- Deep ocean sediment cores are stored in a core repository
Types of Marine Deposits
- Littoral deposits: formed between extreme levels of low and high tide
- Shallow water deposits: formed on the continental shelf
- Deep ocean deposits: formed beyond the edge of the continental shelf
- Shelf deposits are often complex and discontinuous
- Abyssal plain sediments are more uniform
Ocean Sediment Constituents
- Terrigenous deposits: composed of material surrounding land and transported to the ocean
- Includes Aeolian (wind-blown dust) and ice-rafted debris
- Biogenous/biogenic deposits: composed of skeletal remains from ocean organisms
- Includes marine 'snow': a slow, steady 'snowfall' of dead plankton on the seafloor
- Radiolaria: single-celled creatures
- Coccoliths: carbonate plates excreted by single-celled algae
- Foraminifera: single-celled organisms with calcium carbonate shells (planktonic and benthic)
Analyzing Ocean Sediments
- Species assemblage techniques: used to analyze ocean sediments
- Geochemical (isotopic) techniques: used to measure ocean temperatures and global ice volume
- Oxygen isotope ratios are used to reconstruct past climates
- Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) are a globally applicable reference stratigraphy
- O-18 is denser and records continental ice volume
- O-18 provides long, detailed records of Quaternary climate change
Implications of Ocean Sediment Analysis
- Provides evidence for orbital pacing of climatic change
- Overturned existing ideas about Quaternary climate change
- Conclusive evidence of glacial-interglacial cycling and timings
- Revolutionized our understanding of the Earth's climate system
This quiz covers the formation and characteristics of ocean sediments, including deposition sites and types of deposits. It also explores the different types of ocean deposits, including littoral, shallow water, and deep ocean deposits.
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