6.11.2: Chapter Questions
- Page ID
- 47042
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)STUDY QUESTIONS
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Sediments are deposits of particles of many different sizes from many different sources. Why can we classify sediments by their grain size?
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List the four principal types of sedimentary particles classified by their origin. Can we classify sediments from all locations according to these four groups? Explain why or why not.
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A sample of the surface sediments on the continental shelf a kilometer offshore contains large amounts of organic matter compared to other continental shelf sediments. What can you conclude or hypothesize about the characteristics of this region?
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What conditions are necessary for deposits of metal rich sediments to be formed at hydrothermal vents?
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Why would you not expect to find turbidites near the East Pacific Rise?
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Why do we find relict sediments that have only a small amount of overlying sediment on the continental shelf off the northeastern United States, but not off the coast of Louisiana?
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Describe the characteristics of surface sediments on the deep-sea floor. Why do they have these characteristics and how do they vary with location?
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If you drilled into the sediments of the deep-sea floor just beyond the continental rise of the northeastern United States, what layers of sediment would you be likely to encounter with depth?
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A 30-cm-long sediment core has a high concentration of organic matter throughout its length, but oxygen is not depleted in the pore waters. What might explain this?
CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS
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Fifty centimeters deep in a 10-m-long sediment core taken from the center of an abyssal plain in the Pacific Ocean, a thin layer of sediment is found that has a much larger grain size than the sediment either below or above it. (a) Without knowing anything more about the material, give the possible explanations for this layer. (b) How could you determine which one of these alternative explanations was most likely?
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If you were dating different levels within a sediment core and found a layer that was older than both the layer above it and the layer below it, how would you explain this?
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Offshore oil drilling now takes place in very deep waters of the continental slope and may eventually take place at abyssal depths. In many cases, plans call for oil and gas produced from these wells to be collected through short pipelines from several wells in a small area and then shipped ashore on tankers. (a) Why might it not be a good idea in some deep locations to build pipelines on the seafloor to transport the oil ashore (ignoring economic reasons)? (b) On what parts of the continental slope, if any, do you think pipelines should not be built?
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Some sedimentary rocks found in the interior of continents are composed of very fine-grained silicate mineral particles with no calcium carbonate and low metal concentrations. Other continental sedimentary rocks are composed of coarse sand grains with little calcium carbonate, and yet others are composed of fine-grained material that is principally calcium carbonate. Describe the characteristics of the locations at which each of these three rock types were originally accumulated as sediments.