Exploring the Ocean Floor

By: Laura Barrios, Uriel Flores, Edgar Gonzalez, Emmanuel Solis.

Divisions of the ocean floor The global ocean is divided in to three major

oceans.1. Atlantic ocean 2. Pacific ocean 3. Indian ocean

Waters in the polar regions are sometimes called oceans.

Sea is the term applied to smaller areas that are partially surrounded by land ( ex: Mediterranean sea, and Caribbean sea)

What is the Ocean Floor?

The ocean floor consist of: Continental Margins ( line that divides

continental and oceanic crust) Deep Ocean Basins ( plains, submerged

volcanic mountains, trenches, Abyssal planes, and flat planes, mid-ocean ridges, and seamounts ).

Sediments ( fragments that result from the breaking of rocks, minerals, and organic mater.)

Continental Margins

Continental Shelf ( edge of a continental covered by shallow ocean water) gently slopes from shorelines. Average depth is 60 meters. The length varies as the continents

shape and size changes. There areas are commonly affected by

changes in sea levels.

Continental Slope Continental slope ( a steep incline

at the edge of a continental shelf.) Boundary between continental

and oceanic crusts. Ocean depth increases several

thousand meters. Submarine Canyons are deep

under water v-shaped valleys. They are associated with

mouths of major rivers. caused by turbidity currents.

Turbidity Currents are dense currents that carries a large amount of sediments, down the continental slopes.

Continental rise the accumulation of sediments at the base of a continental slope.

Deep Ocean Basins Deep ocean basins

Trenches: deepest feature on

the earth’s surface. Long and narrow. The deepest in the

world is the Mariana Trench located in the western pacific ocean, near the island of Guam.

Most trenches located along the pacific ring of fire.

Abyssal Planes( extremely flat areas that lie in the deep ocean basins.) Occurs where ocean’s depth is greater than

4km They cover around ½ of the deep ocean

basins. Mid-Ocean ridges ( Continuous series of

underwater mountains along the ocean floor.) They have narrow depressions ( aka rifts ) They separate at different rates, there for

they create fracture zones. Fracture Zones : faults running perpendicular to

mid-ocean ridges.

Seamounts ( Submerged volcanic mountains ) They are at least

1,000 m high. The seamounts that

are less than 1 km height they are called the abyssal hills.

they are normally associated with hotspots.

Seamounts are also the creator of islands; they rise about the surface ( ex, Hawaii and the canary islands. )

Exploring The Ocean Floor Submersibles- under water

vessels that allow oceanographers to study the depts. of the ocean.

1. Bathysphere- spherical submersibles that remains attached to a research ship to establish communication and support.

2. Bathyscaph- self propelled moving submersible.

Sonar- ( sound navigation system ) method for mapping the ocean floor using sound waves.