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Figure 18.1.2 The generalized topography of the Pacific Ocean sea floor between Japan and British Columbia. The vertical exaggeration is approximately 200 times. The ocean floor is almost entirely underlain by mafic oceanic crust (mostly basalt and gabbro, as described in more detail below), while the continental slopes are underlain by felsic ...
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Review your understanding of plate tectonics and the ocean floor in this free article aligned to NGSS standards.
•There are two types of tectonic plates: oceanic and continental. Oceanic plates make up the ocean floor. Continental plates make up the continents.
•Both oceanic and continental plates are topped by crust. On average, oceanic crust is denser than continental crust.
•A trench forms when an oceanic plate collides with another plate at a convergent boundary. When this happens, the denser plate is subducted, or pushed under, the less dense plate.
•A mid-ocean ridge forms when two oceanic plates move apart at a divergent boundary.
As is evident from Figures 18.2 and 18.3, the sea floor is dotted with chains of seamounts, isolated seamounts, and ocean islands. Almost all of these features are volcanoes, and most are much younger than the oceanic crust on which they formed.
- Steven Earle
- 2015
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The photic zone is also known as the epipelagic zone. The mesopelagic zone extends from 200 m to 1,000 m; the bathypelagic zone from 1,000 m to 4,000 m; and abyssalpelagic zone is deeper than 4,000 m. ( Pelagic refers to the open ocean, and thus excludes areas that are near to the shores or the ocean floor.)
Apr 24, 2024 · As is evident from Figures 18.1.1 and 18.1.2, the sea floor is dotted with chains of seamounts, isolated seamounts, and ocean islands. Almost all of these features are volcanoes, and most are much younger than the oceanic crust on which they formed. Some seamounts and ocean islands are formed above mantle plumes, the best example being Hawaii.
May 1, 2020 · Bathymetry, the shape of the ocean floor, is largely a result of a process called plate tectonics. The outer rocky layer of the Earth includes about a dozen large sections called tectonic plates that are arranged like a spherical jig-saw puzzle floating on top of the Earth's hot flowing mantle.
Feb 15, 2021 · Neritic sediments cover about ¼ of sea floor and are near landmasses. The term pelagic means "of or relating to the open sea" particularly the upper layers of the ocean away from shore. Pelagic sediments are generally deep-water deposits mostly oozes (see below) and windblown clays.
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