The initial gradient of dissolved sulfate in the pore waters of anoxic marine sediments, representing a wide variety of environments from the deep-sea to estuaries, has been found to be directly proportional, within a factor of two, to the rate of sedimentation. Data from all areas considered, except the Mississippi Delta, fall along the same straight line. The linear proportionality can be explained on the basis of a theoretical model which assumes that organic matter decomposition by sulfate-reducing bacteria, plus associated fermentative micro-organisms, is first order with respect to the concentration of metabolizable organic matter. The model also assumes that the reactivity of metabolizable organic matter varies considerably from sediment to sediment while its concentration remains essentially constant. It is likely that the proportionality observed here also applies to other sediments and, thus, the initial sulfate gradient may be a useful parameter for estimating the rate of deposition of anoxic sediments.