Ocean Basin Floor Features

U x l encyclopedia of water science dictionary.

Ocean basin floor features. Collectively the oceanic ridge system is the most prominent feature on earth s surface after the. In hydrology an oceanic basin may be anywhere on earth that is covered by seawater but geologically ocean basins are large geologic basins that are below sea level geologically there are other undersea geomorphological features such as the continental shelves the deep ocean trenches and the undersea mountain ranges for example the mid atlantic ridge and the emperor seamounts which are. These features are involved in the generation of new oceanic crust from volcanic fissures produced by mantle up welling. Geology of the ocean floorgeology is the study of the solid earth and its history.

The following features are shown at example depths to scale though each feature has a considerable range at which it may occur. The rocks and sediments particles of sand gravel and silt that lie beneath the oceans contain a record book of earth s past. Individually ocean ridges are the largest features in ocean basins. A number of major features of the basins depart.

Ocean basin any of several vast submarine regions that collectively cover nearly three quarters of earth s surface. Mid oceanic ridge is normally found rising above the ocean floor at the center of the ocean basins see figure 10p 1. Marine geology is the study of the solid rock and basins that contain the oceans. Together they contain the overwhelming majority of all water on the planet and have an average depth of almost 4 km about 2 5 miles.

The floors of our world s oceans contain features that you might recognize as being similar to some structures on land. Continental shelf 300 feet continental slope 300 10 000 feet abyssal plain 10 000 feet abyssal hill 3 000 feet up from the abyssal plain seamount 6 000 feet. Source for information on geology of the ocean floor.