The pelagic sediments form polydisperse systems where the liquid phase is the interstitial water, and the solid phase is built up by several genetically different components. In E. D. Goldberg's genetical system these are grouped according to the geological sphere in which the solid phase was separated. The solids are thus classified as lithogenous, hydrogenous, biogenous, atmogenous, cosmogenous, and authigenous. Modern analytical methods make it possible to determine quantitatively the concentrations, and in ideal cases the rates of accumulation of these components.

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