Carbon, sedimentary accumulation

Wycherley H., Fleet A., and Shaw H. (1999) Observations on the origins of large volumes of carbon dioxide accumulations in sedimentary basins. Mar. Petrol. Geol. 16, 489-494. 

Limestone. This is a sedimentary rock that is formed by the accumulation of organic marine life remains (shells or coral). Its main component is calcium carbonate. Cement rock. This is a sedimentary rock that has a similar composition as the industrially produced cement. 

Other applications of °Thxs profiling to assess accumulation rates of sedimentary components include carbonate accumulation in the Western Equatorial Atlantic (Rtihlemann et al. 1996) biogenic and terriginous particle accumulation on the Australian continental margin (Veeh et al. 2000) sedimentation rates in the North East Atlantic (McManus et al. 1998 Thomson et al. 1993 ) (Fig. 5) sedimentation rates during key... 

The saturation state of seawater can be used to predict whether detrital calcite and aragonite are thermodynamically favored to survive the trip to the seafloor and accumulate in surfece sediments. Any PIC or sedimentary calcium carbonate exposed to undersaturated waters should spontaneously dissolve. Conversely, PIC and sedimentary calcium carbonate in contact with saturated or supersaturated waters will not spontaneously dissolve. Typical vertical trends in the degree of saturation of seawater with respect to calcite and aragonite are shown in Figure 15.11 for two sites, one... 

Of particular concern are the impacts of seawater acidification on biocalcification and the burial rates of sedimentary carbon. Carbonate ion concentrations in the surface waters have already declined by 16%. Thus, it is not surprising that the abundance of tropical/subtropic planktonic foraminiferan species appears to have declined since the 1960s. This information was obtained by studying the rapidly accumulating sediments of the Santa Barbara Basins off the coast of California. 

Measurements of S cycling in Little Rock Lake, Wisconsin, and Lake Sempach, Switzerland, are used together with literature data to show the major factors regulating S retention and speciation in sediments. Retention of S in sediments is controlled by rates of seston (planktonic S) deposition, sulfate diffusion, and S recycling. Data from 80 lakes suggest that seston deposition is the major source of sedimentary S for approximately 50% of the lakes sulfate diffusion and subsequent reduction dominate in the remainder. Concentrations of sulfate in lake water and carbon deposition rates are important controls on diffusive fluxes. Diffusive fluxes are much lower than rates of sulfate reduction, however. Rates of sulfate reduction in many lakes appear to be limited by rates of sulfide oxidation. Much sulfide oxidation occurs anaerobically, but the pathways and electron acceptors remain unknown. The intrasediment cycle of sulfate reduction and sulfide oxidation is rapid relative to rates of S accumulation in sediments. Concentrations and speciation of sulfur in sediments are shown to be sensitive indicators of paleolimnological conditions of salinity, aeration, and eutrophication. 

STROMATOLITE. A term that has been generally applied to variously shaped (often domal), laminated, calcareous sedimentary structures formed in a shallow-water environment under the influence of a mat or assemblage of sediment-binding blue-green algae that trap fine (silty) detritus and precipitate calcium carbonate and that commonly develop colonies or irregular accumulations of a constant shape, but with little or no... 

Two major types of variability in the relationship between overlying water chemistry and carbonate accumulation in deep sea sediments occur. The first is the previously discussed relation of the saturation state of the water to the R0, FL and CCD. The second is the relative separation of these different sedimentary features. In some areas of the ocean these relations can be influenced by transitions in water masses having different chemical and hydrographic characteristics (e.g., Thunell, 1982), but in many areas of the ocean the only major variable influencing the saturation state over wide areas is pressure, which leads to a nearly uniform gradient in saturation state with respect to depth. 

Garrels R.M. and Berner R.A. (1983) The global carbonate-silicate sedimentary system-some feedback relations. In Biomineralization and Biological Metal Accumulation (eds. P. Westbroek and E.W. DeJong), pp. 73-87. D. Reidel Publishing Co., Dordrecht, Holland. 

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