Which term denotes sediment formed when minerals precipitate within the water and accumulate on the seafloor?

Which term denotes sediment formed when minerals precipitate within the water and accumulate on the seafloor?

• A. Lithification
• B. Hydrogenous Sediment
• C. Neritic Sediment
• D. Evaporite

Answer: (B)

Minerals that precipitate out of seawater and then settle onto the seafloor form hydrogenous sediments. This happens when dissolved ions in the water become supersaturated under certain conditions (such as changes in chemistry, temperature, or pressure), causing minerals to crystallize directly in the water column and accumulate on the seabed as authigenic sediment. Manganese nodules and various phosphate or carbonate precipitates are classic examples of this kind of sediment. Other terms describe different ideas. Lithification is the process that turns loose sediment into rock, not how the sediment forms. Neritic sediment refers to where the sediment is deposited (near the coast) rather than its origin. Evaporites arise from evaporation concentrating salts in restricted basins, which is a different mechanism than precipitation of minerals within the water column on the seafloor.

Minerals that precipitate out of seawater and then settle onto the seafloor form hydrogenous sediments. This happens when dissolved ions in the water become supersaturated under certain conditions (such as changes in chemistry, temperature, or pressure), causing minerals to crystallize directly in the water column and accumulate on the seabed as authigenic sediment. Manganese nodules and various phosphate or carbonate precipitates are classic examples of this kind of sediment.

Other terms describe different ideas. Lithification is the process that turns loose sediment into rock, not how the sediment forms. Neritic sediment refers to where the sediment is deposited (near the coast) rather than its origin. Evaporites arise from evaporation concentrating salts in restricted basins, which is a different mechanism than precipitation of minerals within the water column on the seafloor.