Why doesn the water pressure crush the sediment?
Water pressure doesnt crush sediments because the spaces between sediment particles (called “pores”) are themselves filled with water. Because sediments have these pores, they adjust to the changes in water pressure that occur as you go deeper in the ocean. Imagine that sediments are composed of a snow-like material. As the snowflakes pile up on top of each other, they leave little empty pockets between them. These pockets of water are not confined in any way (like the water inside of a fish), and so there is nothing to crush. (Matt Schrenk) Send your questions to us!
