Foraminiferans (IMAGE)

University of Texas at Austin

Foraminiferans

Caption

Planktonic foraminifera, such as these collected in the Gulf of Mexico, form the base of many marine and aquatic food chains. Upon death, their skeletons settle on the seafloor to form sedimentary rock such as limestone and chalk. Pressed together in sufficient quantities, such sedimentary rock could have a lubricating effect on the movement of continental plates.

Credit

Randolph Femmer, USGS

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