Researchers calculate that there are ~3.37 × 108 cubic kilometers of sediment on the world’s ocean floor.
sediments
Posted inFeatures
The Search for the Severed Head of the Himalayas
To unearth the very first sediments to erode from the Himalayas, a team of scientists drilled beneath the Bay of Bengal.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Southern Hemisphere Sediments Show Surprising Pliocene Cyclicity
New, high-resolution paleoclimate reconstructions with 100,000-year rhythms may offer insights into how Earth’s climate system operated during a time when the planet was warmer than it is today.
Posted inNews
Ancient River Discovery Confirms Mediterranean Nearly Dried Up in the Miocene
Sedimentary deposits reveal a Nile-sized river system flowing from what are today Turkey and Syria.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
When the River Meets the Sea: Estuary Sediments and Hypoxia
Scientists know that low-oxygen dead zones are growing worldwide. New research sheds light on what that will mean for estuary systems if trends continue.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Formation of Sedimentary Deposits: Bypass Versus Mass Extraction
Grain size and sediment delivery pathways from the Ganges delta have been used to model downstream facies changes.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Do Turbidity Currents Accelerate?
Flume experiments show that a self-reinforcing cycle can strengthen the currents responsible for transporting large amounts of sediment to the deep oceans.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
In a Submarine Trough, Permeable Rocks May Lead to Quakes
In Japan’s submarine Nankai Trough, rock permeability is much higher when measured at larger scales, likely because of big fractures and faults that are not captured at small scales.
Posted inNews
Subsurface Imaging Sheds Light on Dead Sea Sinkholes
Using seismic waves, researchers study sediment layering near the Dead Sea to reveal how the area’s numerous sinkholes form.
Posted inNews
Landslides Send Carbon-Rich Soils into Long-Term Storage
Earthquake-triggered landslides move soils down steep slopes and deposit the sediments near rivers, sequestering the carbon contained within them for millions of years.