Organics are formed by plants from carbon dioxide and water, and then undergo complex transformations to become the many individual compounds found in plants and animals. However, a tiny part of the material can be buried and preserved in soils and sediments. Some of it is millions and millions of years old, other stuff is young. Some is trapped within amber or preserved in the form of a frozen wooley mammoth in Siberia. Other organic matter is deep within the earth buried at tremendously high pressure and temperature.
Organic matter plays a large role in influencing how the Earth functions.
It can influence climate and cloud cover, help create the sea foam found on beaches, and even influence the formation and value of minerals and precious gems. Aquatic Organic Geochemists study many aspects of organic matter in the environment. Last update January 10, 1997.