Oolitic aragonite sand

Most of the topography of the Bahama Banks is composed of calcium carbonate oolitic aragonite sand material.

Oolitic aragonite sand is composed of the calcium carbonate mineral, aragonite, with an egg-like shape ("oolitic" from the Ancient Greek word ᾠόν for "egg") and sand grain size. This sand type forms in tropical waters through precipitation, sedimentation, and microbial activity, and is indicative of high energy environments.[1] The production of oolitic aragonite sand in the Bahamas surpasses anyplace else in the world.[2] Changes in seawater chemistry and paleoenvironments can be interpreted by the sand's chemical composition and structure.[3]

  1. ^ Simone, Lucia (1980). "Ooids: A review". Earth-Science Reviews. 16: 319–355. Bibcode:1980ESRv...16..319S. doi:10.1016/0012-8252(80)90053-7. ISSN 0012-8252.
  2. ^ Lawrence, Robert (23 August 2018). "The Mysterious Origin of Oolitic Sand". Hakai Magazine. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  3. ^ Harris, Paul (Mitch); Diaz, Mara R.; Eberli, Gregor P. (2019). "The Formation and Distribution of Modern Ooids on Great Bahama Bank". Annual Review of Marine Science. 11 (1): 491–516. Bibcode:2019ARMS...11..491H. doi:10.1146/annurev-marine-010318-095251. ISSN 1941-1405. PMID 30089226. S2CID 51939677.