Biogeochemical Transformations in Sediments: Kinetic Models of Early Diagenesis

Abstract

Sediments are major reservoirs of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S). In fact, with the exception of N, marine sediments form the largest reservoirs of these elements at the Earth's surface (Mackenzie et al., 1992). On geological time scales, sedimentary burial in the oceans is one of the critical sink mechanisms controlling the global distribution and cycling of C, N, P and S (e.g., Holland, 1984; Berner, 1989; Berner et al., 1992; Kump, 1992). Thus, there is a need to understand and quantify the processes that affect burial of these elements in sediments.