Lab: The Ocean

Classification of Marine Sediments

Marine sediments fall into the following four general categories, based on their origin (how they formed):

1. Terrigenous (also known as lithogenous): Inorganic sediments derived from land, consisting of rock and mineral fragments.

2. Biogenous: Organic sediments composed of the hard remains (shells, bones, teeth) of marine plants and animals.

3. Hydrogenous: Seafloor deposits formed in place by chemical reactions within seawater. Also sometimes called authigenic sediments, which means self-forming.

4. Cosmogenous: Sediments consisting of extraterrestrial debris, such as tiny meteorites and interplanetary dust that filters down through the Earth's atmosphere.

Questions-

1. Describe the function of ocean currents in the distribution of heat on Earth.

2. Cape Town at the tip of South Africa has a cool mild climate, whereas Durban a few hundred miles to the east is very hot and humid. Why is this so? The following website may help you answer this question: http://www-das.uwyo.edu/~geerts/cwx/notes/chap11/safrica.html

3. Why do you think the Equatorial currents in the Atlantic Ocean are more unorganized and less distinct than those in the Pacific?

4. What is the only current that completely circumscribes (flows all the way around) the Earth?

Attachment:- Lab - The Oceans.rar