The Deep Ocean Surface

One type of sediment to note is diatomaceous earth, an uplifted siliceous ooze which contains the remains of the microscopic algae known as diatoms (Garrison and Ellis 152). With a density lower than most other sediments—measured at 0.2816 g/ml in our lab results—the powdery and apparently sticky sediment has rather tiny grains as expected from this sort of sediment. As diatomaceous earth derives from the diatom ooze of the deep ocean floor, it originates from the slow dissolution of diatom remains along with their high productivity in some surface waters, both of which build up the ooze (149). Another sediment to note is coral sand, which comprises of coral bits and foraminiferan/other calcareous remains (“Coral”). Having the highest density …show more content…
As stated in Tom Garrison and Robert Ellis’s oceanography textbook, “sorting is a function of the energy of the environment,” this energy deriving from “the exposure of that area to the action of waves, tides, and currents.” Well-sorted sediments, which contain particles of mainly one or two sizes, are typically in environments where the energy is narrow (142). Newport Beach’s sand is considerably well-sorted, and by sieving the sand to analyze its distribution, one can assume that it is an older sediment along with its environment being light on energy. Poorly-sorted sediments, which contain a mixture of particle sizes as opposed to being mostly one or two, take place in environments where energy is in a wide spectrum (143). Channel Junction’s sediment is more poorly-sorted than well-sorted, and upon sieving and analyzing its distribution, one can consider that it is a younger sediment as its environment is high in …show more content…
Jeff Williams of the USGS Woods Hole Science Center has noted that “[a beach sand's] unique composition, color and grain size are a result of the source rocks it came from, but also a result of coastal processes that modify the sand over long periods of time” (Hadhazy). One beach sand may have a certain mineral composition due to some external factor, such as volcanic eruptions and/or the weathering and erosion of nearby rocks. Another beach sand could differ due to some internal factor, such as the chemical processes taking place in the water itself or the activity of its living organisms (Garrison and Ellis 140). These minerals may even spread to other neighboring beaches as the water’s currents, waves, and streams attempt to transport them around