Here's a breakdown:
* Eroded rock fragments: These are pieces of rock that have been broken down by weathering and erosion. They can range in size from tiny grains of sand to large boulders.
* Shells of marine creatures: These are the hard outer coverings of animals like clams, oysters, snails, and crabs.
* Sediment: The collective term for all the loose materials that settle to the bottom of a body of water.
Types of marine sediments:
* Biogenic sediments: These are made up of the remains of living organisms, like shells and coral.
* Terrigenous sediments: These are derived from land, like eroded rock fragments and minerals.
* Hydrogenous sediments: These are formed by chemical reactions in the ocean, like manganese nodules.
* Cosmogenous sediments: These are derived from outer space, like meteorites and micrometeorites.
Over time, these sediments can accumulate in layers and eventually become sedimentary rocks.
