Origin and Classification of Marine Sediment

You have just learned how scientists classify sedimentation based on origin and grain size. All of the sediments on the ocean floor come from either the erosion of land (terrigenous sediment), the death and decay of biological organisms (biogenous sediment), volcanic eruptions (volcanogenous sediment), cosmic debris (cosmogenous sediment), or chemical precipitates (hydrogenous sediment).

You also looked at the Wentworth scale which scientists use to classify sediments based on grain size. Grain size and water velocity are crucial factors when determining how sediments are eroded, suspended, or deposited as explained by the Hjulstrom diagram. Now it is time to look at where this sediment can be found, because, believe it or not, some of it is considered a valuable resource.