Ooze is a name for the deposits found on the bottom of the ocean in deep waters. One type of ooze consists of a reddish-brown mud called red clay. The other major type of ooze is made up mostly of skeletons and shells of tiny sea organisms called foraminifera, radiolaria, and diatoms. All three are termed plankton, which is the name for forms of life that float in the water and drift with currents. The foraminifera make their shells from calcium carbonate that is contained in solution in the seawater. A type of limestone called nummulitic limestone is made up mostly of the discarded shells. The skeletons of the radiolaria and diatoms are usually composed of silicon.
The term ooze is also used for any mud that has a high water content. Such mud may be deposited either on the surface of the earth, or in the beds of rivers, streams, ponds, or lakes.
