Depositional Environments

• Depositional environments are locations where sediment accumulates, each characterized by specific physical, chemical, and biological conditions.
• Where land meets the sea in shallow water

  Beach
• Where river flows into the sea; fresh water mixes with seawater

  Deltaic
• Low-lying areas affected by tides

  Tidal
• Small body of water closed off from larger body of water (ocean)

  Lagoonal
• Areas at the end of the mouth of a river where freshwater mixes with seawater

  Deltas
• Areas near rivers or coastlines where soils are saturated or submerged in water

  Wetlands
• A region where sunlight penetrates the water; high energy environment and teeming with life

  Reefal
• Extensions of continental crust submerged by water

  Continental shelf
• Steep slope between shallow continental shelf and deep ocean basin

  Continental slope
• Region where sunlight does not reach; low energy environment

  Deep marine
• Large bodies of water that surround continents

  Oceans
• Rings or partial rings of coral that usually form around a volcanic island or volcano that has receded or been eroded

  Atolls
• Elevated platforms with flat tops formed by volcanic activity near the ocean floor

  Guyots
• The three depositional environments are terrestrial, transitional, and marine
• It represents the interface between land and sea. It is where freshwater meets with seawater.

  Transitional Environments
• Land and water forms in this environment can be found on land and usually involve freshwater.

  Terrestrial Environments
• Can be found in the open waters, from the shallow depths to the deepest portions of the ocean

  Marine Environments