What is Pelagic Deposit?
By BYJU'S Exam Prep
Updated on: November 9th, 2023
Pelagic Deposit is sediment made up of marine organisms, including plants and animals, as well as inorganic material disguised as organic material. Abyssal plains, also known as continental slopes, rises, channels, and underwater plains on the ocean floor, which can be found at depths of between 3,000 and 6,000 meters, are where these depositions can be found.
Table of content
Pelagic Deposit Definition and Meaning
Pelagic sediments can be either terrigenous (erosion of rocks on land) or biogenic. These deposits are sedimented very gradually in the open ocean, either by settling through the volume of ocean water or by rainfall.
- The skeletal components of pelagic organisms, particularly calcium carbonate, make up pelagic residues.
- Red clay, radiolarian oozes, coccolithic, diatomaceous, globigerina and other contemporary biogenic sediments are examples of pelagic deposits.
- Additionally, it includes diatomites, hard rock radiolarites, and limestones.
Types of Ocean Deposits
Pelagic deposits enclose 75% of ocean areas in the form of many oozes in a periodical blend with other types of ocean deposits. Following is the area distribution of different kinds of oozes in the oceans.
| Types of Oozes | Area |
| Pteropod | 0.4% |
| Diatom | 6.4% |
| Radiolarian | 3.4% |
| Red clay | 31.1% |
| Globigerina | The Atlantic Ocean (37.9 million km2)
The Pacific Ocean (64.5 million km2) The Indian Ocean (31.4 million km2) |
| Diatom | North Pacific Ocean (1,03,000 km2)
Southern oceans (27.6 million km2) |
Lastly, Pelagic sediments principally consist of the skeletal material of pelagic organisms. Their distribution is controlled by factors like water depth, ocean fertility, and distance from major landmasses.
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