Ocean Basins
submersible
An underwater research vessel.
mid-ocean ridge
Chains of underwater mountains that run through the ocean basin found at divergent plate boundaries.
sea
Smaller areas of water that may be partially surrounded by land.
SONAR
Technology used to measure the depth of the ocean; sound navigation and ranging
Pacific Ocean
largest ocean on Earth ; meets the continental U.S.'s west coast
fault
tectonic plate boundary ; place where friction between plates occurs
continent
A continental shelf is part of a
submarine canyon
A deep valley eroded into the continental shelf; frequently forms at the mouths of rivers
guyot
A large, flat-topped seamount resulting from erosion of an island volcano when it was above sea level.
trench
A long narrow, steep depression found at a subduction zone. The deepest places in the ocean.
continental rise
A raised wedge of sediment at the base of a continental slope; whether the continental margin starts to level off and reach the deep-ocean basin
bathyscaph
A self propelled free-moving submarine equipped for ocean research.
bathysphere
A spherical diving vessel that remains connected to a research vessel at the surface.
seamount
A submerged volcanic mountain at least 1 km rising from the ocean floor that doesn't reach the surface
ocean
A vast region of salt water
continental shelf
An area of shallow water where the ocean covers the edge of a continent.
97%
How much of all the water on the earth is contained in the global ocean?
Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, Arctic Ocean
List the five major oceans found on Earth from largest to smallest
continental slope
Relatively steep drop-off that extends from the outer edge of the continental shelf to the floor of the deep ocean
oceanography
Study of the physical characterisitcs, chemical make-up and life forms of the ocean.
global ocean
The body of salt water that covers nearly 3/4 of earth's surface.
Continental margin and deep ocean basin.
The ocean floor is divided into these two parts.
deep ocean basin
The part of the ocean floor that is under deep water beyond the continental margin and that is composed of oceanic crust and a thin layer of sediment
continental margins
The shallow parts of the ocean floor made up of the continental crust and a thick sediment layer.
abyssal plain
large, flat areas within the deep ocean basin
Mariana Trench
location of the Challenger Deep, the deepest point found in Earth's global ocean
Atlantic Ocean
ocean containing the longest mid-ocean ridge ; meets the continental U.S.'s east coast
subduction
process that consumes ocean floor ; occurs at a convergent plate boundary when an oceanic plate is pushed beneath another plate
seafloor spreading
process that creates ocean floor ; occurs at mid-ocean ridges when two plates are diverging and magma cools at the surface
submarine robot
remotely piloted submersible
