| A | B |
|---|
| authigenic sediment | Sediment formed directly by precipitation from seawater; also called hydrogenous sediment. |
| biogenous sediment | Sediment of biological origin. |
| clamshell sampler | A sampling device used to take shallow samples of the ocean bottom. |
| clay | Sediment particle smaller than 0.004 millimeter in diameter; the smallest sediment size category. |
| diatom | Earth’s most abundant, successful, and efficient single-celled phytoplankton. |
| foraminiferan | One of a group of planktonic amoeba-like animals with a calcareous shell, which contributes to biogenous sediments. |
| hydrogenous sediment | A sediment formed directly by precipitation from seawater; also called authigenic sediment. |
| lithification | Conversion of sediment into sedimentary rock by pressure or by the introduction of a mineral cement. |
| mineral | A naturally occurring inorganic crystalline material with a specific chemical composition and structure. |
| neritic sediment | Continental shelf sediment consisting primarily of terrigenous material. |
| nodule | Solid mass of hydrogenous sediment, most commonly manganese or ferromanganese nodules and phosphorite nodules. |
| ooze | Sediment of at least 30% biological origin. |
| paleoceanography | The study of the ocean’s past. |
| pelagic sediment | Sediments of the slope, rise, and deep-ocean floor that originate in the ocean. |
| sand | Sediment particle between 0.062 and 2 millimeters in diameter. |
| silt | Sediment particle between 0.004 and 0.062 millimeter in diameter. |
| terrigenous sediment | Sediment derived from the land and transported to the ocean by wind and flowing water. |
