the ocean floor
DESCRIPTION
The Ocean Floor. The Ocean Floor. The World Ocean Imaging the Ocean Floor Continental Margins The Deep-Ocean Floor Oceanic Ridges Seafloor Sediments. Terms. Oceanography: An Interdisciplinary Science. PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor. Geology Ocean floor, oceanic crust Biology Marine life - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
The Ocean Floor
The Ocean Floor
•The World Ocean•Imaging the Ocean Floor•Continental Margins•The Deep-Ocean Floor•Oceanic Ridges•Seafloor Sediments
Terms
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor
Oceanography: An Interdisciplinary Science
• Geology– Ocean floor, oceanic crust
• Biology– Marine life
• Chemistry– Composition of ocean water
• Physics– Waves, heat transfer, ocean circulation
The World Ocean
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor
The World OceanPSCI 131: The Ocean Floor
Northern HemisphereSouthern Hemisphere
Earth’s surface is 71% oceanMajority is in Southern Hemisphere
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: The World Ocean
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: The World Ocean
Oceans vs. Continents• Continents
– Average elev.: about 2800 feet above sea level– Highest point: about 30,000 feet a.s.l.
• Oceans– Average depth: about 12,200 feet– Deepest point: about 36,000 feet
Imaging the Ocean Floor
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Imaging the Ocean Floor
Ocean Floor Mapping
• HMS Challenger– British– 1872-1876– All oceans except Arctic– Used weighted ropes to find ocean depths
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Imaging the Ocean Floor
Ocean Floor Mapping• HMS Challenger’s route
– British– 1872-1876– All oceans except Arctic– Used weighted ropes to find ocean depths
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Imaging the Ocean Floor
Ocean Floor Mapping• Sonar
– Single beam– Multibeam
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Imaging the Ocean Floor
Ocean Floor Mapping• Sonar
– Travel time of ping / 2 = depth
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Imaging the Ocean Floor
Seismic Reflection Profiles
• Seismic waves penetrate mud, bounce off rock
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Imaging the Ocean Floor
Seismic Reflection Profiles
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Imaging the Ocean Floor
Ocean Floor Provinces• Revealed by ocean floor imaging techniques
• Continental margins– Passive and active
• Deep-ocean floor• Oceanic ridges
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Imaging the Ocean Floor
Ocean Floor Provinces
Continental Margins
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Continental Margins
Continental Margin Types• Passive
– Little geologic activity– Gentle slope– Flatter coastlines
• Active– Frequent geologic activity– Steeper slope– More rugged coastlines
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Continental Margins
Passive Margins
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Continental Margins
Passive Margins
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Continental Margins
Passive Margin Formation
Crustal stretching & thinning
Initial, narrow ocean basin forms
Mature basin with passive margins
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Continental Margins
Passive Margins: Submarine Canyons
Undersea “landslides” move down continental slopes and cut into shelves to form submarine canyons.
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Continental Margins
Passive Margins: The Hudson submarine canyon
Modern Hudson River mouth
Hudson River mouth during last ice age
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Continental Margins
Active Margins (aka subduction zones)
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Continental Margins
Active Margins (aka subduction zones)
The Deep-Ocean Basin
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: The Deep-Ocean Basin
Key Deep-Ocean Basin Features• Abyssal plains• Trenches• Seamounts
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: The Deep-Ocean Basin
Abyssal Plains
• Very flat• Deep sediment
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: The Deep-Ocean Basin
Abyssal Plains
Abyssal plains are dark blue
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: The Deep-Ocean Basin
Trenches
• Deepest places in the oceans• Subduction-related• Sediment traps
Puerto Rico Trench
Florida
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: The Deep-Ocean Basin
Seamounts• Undersea volcanoes• Form islands if peaks are above sea level
– Most are not
Oceanic Ridges
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Oceanic Ridges
Oceanic Ridges• Elevated, linear features
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Oceanic Ridges
Oceanic Ridges• Also called “spreading centers” or “divergent
plate boundaries”
• Two crustal plates are spreading apart
• New crust formed at center of ridge
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Oceanic Ridges
Diagram of an oceanic ridge
Central rift valley w/ volcanoes
Fault blocks Rising molten rock from mantle
Plate motionPlate motion
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Oceanic Ridges
Oceanic ridge formation
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Oceanic Ridges
Earth’s Largest Topographic Feature• Over 70,000 miles long
Seafloor Sediments
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Seafloor Sediments
Ocean Sediment Types• Terrigenous (~45% of ocean floor)
– “Terra” = earth– Derived from continents
• Biogenous (~55%)– Created by organisms
• Hydrogenous (<1 %)– Crystallize out of seawater
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Seafloor Sediments
Terrigenous Sediments• Concentrated along continental margins
• Mineral and rock material
• From rivers, wind, glaciers
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Seafloor Sediments
Biogenous Sediments• Concentrated away from continents
• Mainly dead plankton shells
Plankton shells at high magnification
White Cliffs of Dover, England – ancient biogenous seafloor sediment
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor: Seafloor Sediments
Hydrogenous Sediments• Dispersed throughout ocean and along shorelines
• Chemical precipitation of minerals from seawater
• Common examples– Manganese nodules– Calcium carbonate
Manganese nodules in south Pacific, depth 15,000 feet
End of Chapter
PSCI 131: The Ocean Floor