TABLE 1. SOME GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SEA FLOOR SEDIMENTS' 







Area 



Depth 



Rates of Deposi- 



Grain Size 





Environment 



Covered 

 (%) 



Distrib. 

 (m) 



tion 



cm/1000 yrs) 



(med. Diam; 



Type 



Max. 



Min. Avg. 



mm) 



Terrigenous: 





25.8 



- 









Sand, silt, clay 



shelf 

 slope 

 deep- sea a 



(8.3) 





39 



17 29 

 19 



0.130 

 0.008 

 0.119 



Glacial marine 



deep-sea 











-- 



Coral sand, silt 



shelf/slope 6 



(3.0) 



< 550 







1.0 



Volcanic sand, silt 



shelf/slope" 



(0.5) 



<4800 







0.011 



Pelagic: 



deep-sea 



74.2 



- 



63.9 



0.5 8.8 



- 



Calcareous oozes: 



deep-sea 



(35.5) 



5500 



3.2 



0.2 .8-1.0 



J 0.008- 

 1 0.450 



Foraminiferal 



deep-sea 



(34.9) 









Coccolith 



deep-sea "|_ 

 deep-sea J 



(0.6) 









— 



Pteropod 









— 



Siliceous oozes: 



deep-sea 



(10.4) 









-- 



Radiolarian 



deep-sea 



(8.5) 



5300 







-- 



Diatom 



deep-sea 



(1.9) 



3900 







0.007 



"Red" clay 



deep-sea 



(28.3) 



>3700 



0.8 



0.03 0.1 



0.001 



NOTES: 



a. Turbidites (turbidity-current deposits) 



b. Including slope of islands. 



"Tables 1 and 2 published as AGI Data Sheet No. 39. " References from the literature are noted in the original 



publication. 



TABLE 2. SOMET 



VPICAL PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF SEA FLOOR SEDIMEf 

 Continental Shelf 



JTS" 





Deep Sea 









Sand 



Sandy Silt 

 Silty Sand 



Silt c 



Clay c 



Calc. ooze 



Property 



Max. 



Min. 



Avg. 



Max. 



Min. 



Avg. 



Max. 



Min. 



Avg. 



Max. 



Min. 



Avg. 



Max. 



Min. 



Avg. 



Density, saturated, gr/cc" 



2.10 



1.80 



1.90 



1.90 



1.50 



1.75 



1.85 



1.25 



1.45 



1.80 



1.18 



1.40 



1.95 



1.25 



1.70 



Bulk density, avg. mineral 

 grains gr/cc d 



- 



- 



2.65 



- 



- 



2.65 



- 



- 



2.65 



2.80 



2.40 









2.72 



Porosity, percent 



50 



35 



45 



70 



45 



55 



85 



50 



73 



85 



50 



77 



85 



45 



60 



Sound speed, km/sec e 



1.79 



1.54 



1.70 



1.63 



1.48 



1.54 



1.56 



1.47 



1.51 



1.60 



1.47 



1.49 



2.05 



1.48 



- 



Shear strength', cohesion, 

 gr/cm 2 









27 



4 



12 



21 



3 



11 



46 



4 



17 



192 



4 



87 



Sensitivity ratio', 9 









8 



3 



5 



9 



2 



5 



9 



2 



5 



24 



2 



7 



NOTES: 



a. Laboratory; room temp, and pressure; sediment surface; all have exceptions, and intergrade. 



b. Density of sea water in situ, ranges from approx. 1.025 gr/cc at surface to 1.05 at greatest depth. 



c. I ncluding silty clay and clayey silt. 



d. Excluding unusual amounts of heavy minerals. 



e. Sediment "surface." 



f. Vane shear and compression. 



g. "Undisturbed" shear strength divided by remolded, or "disturbed," strength. 



11 



