XIII.—On the Size of the Particles in Deep-sea Deposits

Abstract

SummaryA new method for the mechanical analysis of soils and deposits has been developed. It consists in weighing, from time to time, on a specially constructed balance, the amount of sediment accumulated on a circular disc suspended from the balance near the bottom of a vessel containing an aqueous suspension of the sample. From the “accumulation-curve” thus obtained one finds by a series of mathematical operations a “distribution-curve,” i.e. a curve showing how the amount of particles of a certain size varies with the latter quantity.This method has been applied to the study of some deep-sea deposits from the Challenger Office. The distribution-curves thus obtained show marked differences for the different samples, and reveal a surprising lack of very fine particles in the deposits from the largest depths, besides suggesting interesting problems for new research.