Shallow water marine environment
type of marine environment
Shallow water marine environment refers to the neritic marine environment between the shore and the shelf break. This environment is characterized by oceanic, geological and biological conditions, as described below, and water in this environment is shallow and clear, allowing the formation of different sedimentary structures, carbonate rocks, coral reefs, and allowing certain organisms to survive and become fossils.
Sediment
The sediment itself is often composed of limestone, which forms readily in shallow, warm, calm waters. While siliciclastic and carbonaceous sediments can coexist, shallow marine environments can also contain only one or the other. Shallow water marine sediment primarily features larger grain sizes because smaller grains have washed out to deeper water. Within carbonaceous sedimentary rock, evaporite minerals such as gypsum, anhydrite, and halite may be present; these are the most common evaporite minerals found within modern and ancient deposits and can occur as crystalline layers, isolated crystals, or clusters of crystals.
Approximately 75% of surface sediments are in shallow-marine environments, representing most Phanerozoic and Precambrian sedimentary rock. This is visible in the North American and Caribbean regions. However, shallow marine sediment quantity varies significantly over geologic time due to supercontinent breakup and shifting tectonic plate processes.
Sedimentary structures
Shallow marine environments
Shallow marine environments (SME) are characterized by various types of sedimentary structures, including:
Graded bedding: characterized by a vertical gradation in grain size, with the smallest grains at the top
Ripples: the smallest bedform type
Dunes: larger and similar in shape to ripples
Carbonaceous rocks in SMEs
Carbonaceous sedimentary rock in shallow marine environments contains significant amounts of non-skeletal matter along with siliciclastic or chemical constituents and can exhibit a range of sedimentary structures, including:
Cross stratification: a layering structure found in gravel, sand, and coarse silt-sized sediment, characterized by distinct layers that are steeply inclined to the underlying surface.
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