Limestone and Salt Flashcards
What are biochemcial sedimentary rocks?
minerals precipitated with assistance of organisms
What are chemical sedimentary rocks?
minerals precipitated inorganically, usually from seawater (evaporites)
What are the main elements in sea water?
chloride, sodium, sulfate, magnesium, calcium, potassium
How does calcite form?
marine organisms in normal sedimentary environments precipitate it
Why is there a lot of calcite precipitated, even though it’s not very abundant in water?
it’s near its solubility, and marine organisms are efficient ad precipitating it
What two processes are involved in the formation of biochemcial sedimentary rocks?
in situ precipitation and transport by currents
What are two common biochemical minerals?
calcite and dolomite (calcite + Mg)
What are some common biochemcial sedimentary environments?
carbonate platforms, atolls, and barrier reefs; tidal flats; deep marine; springs; freshwater lakes
What characteristics are shared by carbonate platforms, atolls, and barrier reefs; AND HOW DO THEY RELATE TO CACO3 PPTING?
shallow marine water at low latitudes
How do filter feeders on barrier reefs make use of their ability to precipitate calcite?
build structures to place them in the perfect area to catch food - where there’s some energy in the water to bring food to them, but not enough to wash them away
How are atolls formed?
when a volcano starts subsiding, CaCO3 precipitating organisms precipitate CaCO3 to build structures to keep up with subsiding volcano, so that they can stay at surface of sea
How are barrier reefs formed…?
?
What are the characteristics of tidal flats and HOW DO THEY RELATE TO CACO3 PPTING?
algal environment (algae and the bacteria on it are important CaCO3 producers), carbonate precipitation in intertidal zone, + current transportation
When a CaCO3-precipitating organism dies and its shell lands less than 4000 m deep, what happens to its shell?
shell adds to calcereous ooze
What is calcareous ooze?
shells of planktonic foraminifera and calcereous nanofossils
What happens when a CaCO3 shell descends deeper than 4000-7000 m?
it dissovles (due to high pressure)
What is a characteristic of deep marine sediment?
lacks CaCO3 sediment
How does an increase in pressure affect calcite solubility, and how does this relate to ocean depth?
increase in pressure (as depth increases) increases calcite solubility
How does an increase in CO2 affect calcite solubility, and how does this relate to ocean depth?
increased CO2 increases calcite solubility; (????)
What is the CaCO3 compensation depth (CCD)?
depth in the oceans below the rate of solvation of calcite exceeds the rate of supply, leavning no calcite sediment
How much of the deep ocean floor does calcareous ooze cover?
1/3 (floor not deeper than 4000 to 7000 m)
What are the characteristics of springs?
many solutes in water, lots of microbial growth
How does calcite precipitate in springs?
with pressure release when groundwater reaches surface
How is travertine formed and what rock does it relate to?
precipitation of calcite from GROUNDWATER, like limestone
What are the characteristics of travertine?
dense and usually banded (bands correspond to changes in groundwater composition)
What type of travertine contains large pores?
tufa