Ooze, a slimy, fine-grained mud deposited under water. Although the term ooze can apply to any water-deposited mud, in geology it specifically refers to sea-bottom deposits. These deposits are made of the shells and skeletons of microscopic organisms that float freely in the ocean.
There are four main types of oozes, each named for the most common organism in it. Two are calcareous, or chalky:
- 1. Globigerina Ooze, made of the shells of Globigerina, a type of protozoan called foraminifer.
- 2. Pteropod Ooze, made ot the shells of pteropods, which are tiny mollusks.
The two other types consist of skeleton and shells made of silicon compounds:
- 3. Diatomaceous Ooze, from diatoms, a type of alga.
- 4. Radiolarian Ooze, from Radiolaria, a type of protozoan.
Ooze is useful to scientists studying the history of the earth and the formation beneath the surface of the earth. Certain organisms that form ooze grow in narrow ranges of temperature. Oceanographers can tell from the fossils in different layers of the sea bottom the various climates of the earth at different times. Fossils found in oozes that have been pressed into rock help geologists identify oil-bearing rock.
