Galapagos 2005 Expedition. The calcium carbonate shells of tiny sea creatures living at the sea surface fall to the seafloor as light-colored sediment when these organisms die. As time passes, this sediment accumulates on the surfaces of the volcanic rocks far below.

Image ID: expl1161, Voyage To Inner Space - Exploring the Seas With NOAA Collect
Credit: Image courtesy of UCSB, Univ. S. Carolina, NOAA, WHOI.

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