calcareous zone
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Ooze Formation
Deep ocean sediment containing at least 30%biogenic material is called ooze
Oozes are named after the dominant remnant
organism constituting them
When these organisms die, their shells settle
slowly toward the bottom, mix with finegrained terrigenous silts and clays, andaccumulate as ooze.
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Tend to accumulate at depths above theCarbonate Compensation Depth (CCD) and is
generally absent below.
Calcareous ooze forms mainly from shells ofamoeba-like foraminifera, small drifting mollusks
called ptereopods, and tiny algae known ascoccolithophores.
When conditions are ideal, these organismsgenerate massive volumes of sediment.
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Rate of Formation
Oozes accumulate slowly
Rate: ~ 1-6 cm (1/2 to 2 ½ inches) perthousand years.
Accumulation of any ooze depends on… A delicate balance between the abundance
of organisms at the surface
The rate at which they dissolve once theyreach the bottom
The rate of accumulation of terrigenoussediment.
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Only a small proportion of calcareous ooze isprecipitated inorganically.
For the most part, calcareous ooze comprisesthe fossil hard parts of planktic and benthicsingle-celled marine organisms whose calciumcarbonate skeletons are discarded upon death
or reproduction.Generally white to pinkish-white in color
Calcareous ooze is distinguished by its main
biogenic component into:foraminiferal ooze (Animal)
coccolithophore ooze (Plant)
pteropod ooze (Animal)
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Foraminiferal Ooze
Contains foraminifera·Divided into planktic (floating) and
benthic (bottom) foraminifera·
Inhabit upper few hundred meters andbottom of the world oceans·
Low number of modern species·
Vast quantities produce a sedimentcover that occupies ~ 1/3 earth’s
surface·
Utilized to interpret marine sediments
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Coccolithophore Ooze
Contains coccolithophoridsBelong to marine nanno-phytoplankton (algae)
whose cells are covered by calcite platelets
Live in all oceans. Species dominance varies bygeographical zonation
Once dead, coccolithophorids disintegrate intosingle coccoliths that lastly are preserved as c-
oozeSmall in size but occur huge in numbers in the
sediment
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Coccolithophores surround themselves with a microscopicplating made of limestone (calcite).These scales, known as coccoliths, are shaped likehubcaps and are only three one-thousandths of a millimeter
in diameter.
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White Cliffs of Dover
• The remains of countless coccolithphores have been
compressed and lithified (transformed into stone) to form theimpressive White Cliffs of Dover in SE England.
• Though formed at moderate ocean depth about 100 millionyears ago, tectonic forces have uplifted Dover's chalk cliffs totheir present prominent position.
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Pteropod Ooze
Contains pteropods (marine gastropod mollusksadapted to pelagic life that have a foot with wing-shaped lobes used as swimming organs)
Most species seem to prefer the circum-global tropical
and subtropical regions.Distribution limited by water depth, temperature,
salinity, oxygen content, and nutrient supply.
They form very thin and fragile shells that hardly
preserve under biochemical (i.e. dissolution) orphysical (i.e. ingestion) attack.
For this reason, preservation is mostly restricted toshallow parts of the oceans (i.e., continental shelf,
slopes, ridges and rises)
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Clione limacinaClio pyramidata
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Deep Sea Sediment Distribution
Type CompositionAtlantic
%
Pacific
%
Indian
%
Global
%
Foram.
Ooze
Calcium
Carbonate65 36 54 47
Pteropod
Ooze
Calcium
Carbonate2 0.1 - 0.5
DiatomOoze
Silica 7 10 20 12
Radiolarian
OozeSilica - 5 0.5 3
Red Clay
Aluminum
Silicate 26 49 25 38
Worldwide distribution of recent shelf sediments by composition isstrongly related to latitude and climate.
Calcareous biogenic sediments dominate tropical shelves
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Global Distribution
The blue indicates areas of calcareous ooze coverage. (~48% of Seafloor)
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