6.6: Biogenous Sediments
- Page ID
- 9977
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Biogenous Sediments
Biogenous sediments are composed of the remains of living organisms, including microscopic phytoplankton (plants) and microscopic zooplankton (animals), terrestrial and aquatic plants, shells of invertebrates, and vertebrate material (teeth, bone), and associated organic residues. Coal, oil, and gas are derived from biogenous sediments. Biogenous sediments accumulate to form massive deposits associated with modern and ancient carbonate "reef systems" (such as the Australian Barrier Reef, South Florida, Keys, and the Bahamas, the Yucatan and reefs throughout the Caribbean Sea, and great reefs and atolls in thou gout the South Pacific, Indian Ocean, and many other locations. (See more on Biogenous Sediments below.)
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| Figure 6.15. Biological activity creates large volumes of sediment in some ocean regions. | Figure 6.16. Oceanic plankton constitute the largest reservoir of biomass in the world's oceans |