On Silica and the Siliceous Remains of Organisms in Modern Seas

In a former jjaper to this Society, we pointed out the important role played by carbonic acid in modern seas, with special reference to the vast deposits of carbonate of lime now taking place in coral reefs and those other calcareous deposits known as Globigerina and Pteropod Oozes. It was pointed o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Main Authors: Murray, John, Irvine, Robert
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1892
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0370164600007392
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0370164600007392
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Summary:In a former jjaper to this Society, we pointed out the important role played by carbonic acid in modern seas, with special reference to the vast deposits of carbonate of lime now taking place in coral reefs and those other calcareous deposits known as Globigerina and Pteropod Oozes. It was pointed out that carbonic acid was the chief agent in the disintegration of felspars and other silicates of the earth's surface, that it was concerned in all the changes that result in the secretion of carbonate of lime by marine organisms from any of the lime salts in sea-water, that a vast amount of Carbonic acid was being locked up in the calcareous deposits now in process of formation on the sea-bed, and that there was an accumulation of these calcareous deposits chiefly towards the equatorial regions of the ocean basins. In the present paper we propose to deal with the great antagonistic power to carbonic acid, viz., silica, and with the siliceous organic remains in the ocean.