Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Siliceous ooze is a type of biogenic pelagic sediment located on the deep ocean floor. Siliceous oozes are the least common of the deep sea sediments, and make up approximately 15% of the ocean floor. [1] Oozes are defined as sediments which contain at least 30% skeletal remains of pelagic microorganisms. [2]
The two primary types of ooze are siliceous, which is composed primarily of silica (SiO 2), and calcareous or carbonate, which is mostly calcium carbonate (CaCO 3). [1] In an area in which biogenous is the dominant sediment type, the composition of microorganisms in that location determines to which category it is classified.
Siliceous ooze is ooze that is composed of at least 30% of the siliceous microscopic "shells" of plankton, such as diatoms and radiolaria. Siliceous oozes often contain lesser proportions of either sponge spicules, silicoflagellates or both. This type of ooze accumulates on the ocean floor at depths below the carbonate compensation depth.
Siliceous ooze is a type of biogenic pelagic sediment located on the deep ocean floor. Siliceous oozes are the least common of the deep sea sediments, and make up approximately 15% of the ocean floor. [5] Oozes are defined as sediments which contain at least 30% skeletal remains of pelagic microorganisms. [6]
Siliceous oozes are composed primarily of the remains of diatoms and radiolarians, but may also include other siliceous organisms, such as silicoflagellates and sponge spicules. Diatom ooze occurs mainly in high-latitude areas and along some continental margins, whereas radiolarian ooze are more characteristic of equatorial areas.
As the sea floor spreads, thermal subsidence of the plate, which has the effect of increasing depth, may bring the carbonate layer below the CCD; the carbonate layer may be prevented from chemically interacting with the sea water by overlying sediments such as a layer of siliceous ooze or abyssal clay deposited on top of the carbonate layer. [5]
The skeletal remains of some types of radiolarians make up a large part of the cover of the ocean floor as siliceous ooze. Due to their rapid change as species and intricate skeletons, radiolarians represent an important diagnostic fossil found from the Cambrian onwards.
Skeleton fragments from siliceous organisms are subject to recrystallization and cementation. [37] Chert is the main fate of buried siliceous ooze and permanently removes silica from the oceanic silica cycle. The siliceous ooze is eventually subducted under the crust and metamorphosed in the upper mantle. [39]