Elementary Oceanography | 4: Marine Sediments

In which of the following environments would you expect lithogenous sediment to be the dominant sediment type?

-At the base of the continental slope -A sandy beach -Along the mid-ocean ridge -The abyssal plains

What sediment type(s) is/are included in the pink category labeled "Other" on the map? (Part D)

-Hydrogenous sediments -Cosmogenous sediments

Of the following sediments, which one(s) is/are considered hydrogenous?

-Manganese nodules -Coatings of metal sulfides near black smokers

Marine sediments provide valuable clues about which of the following Earth history events?

-Movement of the ocean floor -The climate on Earth millions of years ago -Past catastrophes, such as major extinction events -The ancient geographical locations of ocean basins -Previous ocean circulation patterns (all of them)

Of the following, which energy resource(s) can be extracted form marine sediments?

-Petroleum -Gas hydrates

What mechanism(s) is/are responsible for transporting clay to deep ocean basins? (Part E)

-Wind -Slow-moving ocean currents

The sediments that are produced in areas of high primary productivity are indicated by the number(s):

2&3

What is the approximate depth of the calcite compensation depth (CCD) in the ocean? (Part A)

3 miles (4.5 kilometers)

The most likely place to find abundant manganese nodules is on the:

Abyssal plain far from a continent

What common household item is used in this video to demonstrate rotary drilling? (Part B)

An apple corer

A very important way to increase the settling rate of fine particles in the open ocean is via:

Fecal pellets

Which of the following contains calcium carbonate (CaCO3)?

Foraminiferans

The main energy resources associated with marine sediments are petroleum and _______.

Gay hydrates

In general, polar neritic sediment tends to have more _______.

Gravel than in tropical waters

Siliceous ooze is particularly abundant on the seafloor at ______ and at _______. (Part E)

High latitudes; equatorial upwelling zones

Sediments produced because of chemical reactions in seawater are called:

Hydrogenous

Oolites are an example of which of the following sediment types?

Hydrogenous Sediment

Halite

Hydrogenous sediment

Manganese nodules

Hydrogenous sediment

Metal sulfides

Hydrogenous sediment

Oolites

Hydrogenous sediment

Abyssal clay

Lithogenous (terrigenous) sediment

Sandstone is an example of which of the following sediment types?

Lithogenous Sediment

Turbidite deposits are an example of which of the following sediment types?

Lithogenous Sediment

Calcium carbonate is most likely to dissolve in water with which characteristic?

Low salinity

Depth at which calcium carbonate beings to dissolve

Lysocline

Which of the following natural gasses is most common in gay hydrates from under the ocean floor?

Methane

The ancient remains of which of the following, buried before they could decompose, are the source of todays petroleum deposits?

Microscopic organisms

Examine the five words and/or phrases and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.

Oolites

Which of the following resources found in ocean sediments has the greatest economic value?

Petroleum

The most abundant mineral in lithogenous sediments is ______.

Quartz

China currently supplies about 90% of which of the following resources?

Rare-earth elements

Which of the following is the most advanced technology used to collect sediment samples from the deep ocean?

Rotary corer

Neritic sediments are most likely to be composed of ______.

Sand, silt, and gravel

Judge the following sentence according to the criteria given below: Marine sediments can't provide insight into today's climate changes BECAUSE they reveal a detailed history of Earth's past climate.

The assertion is incorrect, but the reason is correct

Collecting adequate samples from which of the following is the most difficult?

The deep-ocean floor

What is the calcite compensation depth, or CCD? (Part B)

The ocean depth below which calcite is unstable and will dissolve quickly

Associated with submarine canyons and deep-sea alluvial fans

Turbidite

Calcite dissolves more readily in seawater that is ______ in temperature and _______ in pressure.

colder;higher

In the demonstration, what does the apple represents? (Part C)

the deep sea floor

What is calcareous ooze? (Part A)

A fine-grained, deep ocean sediment containing the skeletal remains of calcite-secreting microbes

Part C

A: Abyssal clay E: Siliceous ooze F: Upwelling, cool water D: Calcite compensation depth (CCD) B: Calcareous ooze C: Mid-ocean ridge

Why is this drilling process called rotary drilling? (Part A)

Because the drill bit turns around in a circle

Why does calcareous material dissolve below the CCD? (Part D)

Below the CCD, weak acid is formed, which dissolves calcareous material

Sediments derived from the remains of the hard parts of once-living organisms are called ______ sediments. (Part A)

Biogenous

Stromatolites

Biogenous sediment

Judge the following sentence according to the criteria given below: Biogenous sediment usually contains abundant calcite below the calcite compensation depth BECAUSE it readily dissolves above the calcite compensation depth.

Both the assertion and the reason are incorrect

What have oceanographers determined from analyzing sea floor cores? (Part D)

Climate change and past extinctions

Which sediment type dominated in the neritic environment? (Part A)

Coarse lithogenous sediment, such as sand and small rocks

Sediments with an extraterrestrial origin are called:

Cosmogenous

Tektites are an example of which of the following sediment types?

Cosmogenous Sediment

Tektites

Cosmogenous sediment

Salt beds of the U.S. Gulf Coast are _______.

Hydrogenous sediments

Associated with glacial deposits

Ice rafting

Sediments derived from pre-existing rocks on land are called:

Lithogenous

The particles found in some sediment that suggest that an extraterrestrial impact event are:

Tektites

Judge the following sentence according to the criteria given below: An increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide due to the burning of coal will cause the calcite compensation depth to rise BECAUSE the oceans will get more acidic.

The assertion and the reason are both correct, and the reason is valid

Judge the following sentence according to the criteria given below: Coarse-grained lithogenous neritic deposits dominate continental margin areas BECAUSE they do not contain biogenous, hydrogenous, and cosmogenous particles.

The assertion is correct, but the reason in incorrect

Judge the following sentence according to the criteria given below: Abyssal clays are commonly red-brown or buff in color BECAUSE they contain gypsum.

The assertion is correct, but the reason is incorrect

Fossiliferous limestone is an example of which of the following sediment types?

Biogenous Sediment

The White Cliffs of Dover are an example of which of the following sediment types?

Biogenous Sediment

Diatomaceous ooze

Biogenous sediment

Siliceous ooze

Biogenous sediment

Part E

C: Siliceous ooze A: Abyssal clay B: Calcareous ooze

Depth at which all calcium carbonate is in solution (i.e. dissolved)

CCD

What would happen if the depth of the CCD were above the top of the mid-ocean ridge? (Part D)

Calcareous ooze would not be found below the CCD

Two common types of chemical compounds found in biogenous sediments are ______ and _______. (Part B)

Calcium carbonate; silica

You take a sediment sample from the ocean floor at a depth of 5500 m. The area has low biological productivity and the CCD is at 4500 m depth. Your sample will probably consist of __________.

Clay

Part D

D: Calcareous ooze B: Abyssal clay C: Neritic continental lithogenous A: Siliceous ooze: diatom E: Siliceous ooze: radiolarian

Which of the following is thought to have enriched ocean floor sediments with rare-earth elements?

Deep-sea hotsprings

What three steps are requires for calcareous ooze to exist below the CCD? (Part C)

Deposition of calcite shells above the CCD, cover of these shells by a non-calcareous material, and movement of the sea floor over million of years

The two major types of microscopic, planktonic organisms that produce siliceous oozes are _______ and _______. (Part C)

Diatoms; radiolarians

The deposition of coarse-grained lithogenous material in neritic environments along continental margins is an example of the ______ of biogenous sediment.

Dilution

Forams, which are composed of calcium carbonate, _______ above the CCD and _______ below the CCD. (Part B)

Do not dissolve; dissolve

Diatomaceous earth, which is composed of silica, _______ above the CCD and _______ below the CCD. (Part C)

Does not dissolve; does not dissolve

Which of the following was used during early exploration of the oceans to collect sediment samples?

Dredge

Part A (Matching pictures)

B: Radiolarian, showing long appendages A: Diatom, showing both halves of it test C: Radiolarian, spherical shape D: Diatom, top view

Part B

E: Diatom (siliceous) B: Foraminifers C: Coccoliths (Individual plates) D: Coccolithophore (single) A:Coccolithophores (multiple)

Shortly after the devastating 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake, the Chikyu drillship began an expedition to study which of the following?

Earthquake-generated heat from friction

Which of the following statements about marine sediments is correct?

They record the timing and severity of some global extinction events

What factor primarily controls the distribution of calcareous ooze? (Part B)

Water depth

Particle size classification

Wentworth Scale

What factor primarily determines the distribution of radiolarian ooze? (Part C)

Areas of upwelling

Coccolithophores

Biogenous sediment

Which of the following marine resources is used to make wallboard or sheet rock?

Evaporative salts

How does siliceous ooze accumulate on the seafloor if silica-based residues are dissolved slowly at all depths? (Part D)

Silica tests accumulate after than seawater can dissolve them

Examine the five words and/or phrases and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.

Siliceous ooze