Exploring%20the%20Ocean

1
Exploring the Ocean
2
Why is the ocean difficult to study?

1. It is DEEP! 3.8 km (thats twice as deep as the
   Grand Canyon)
2. It is DARK and COLD! (Only a few degrees above
   freezing)
3. It has extreme PRESSURE!

3
So, how did we map it?

• SONAR Sound Navigation and Ranging
• Ships bounce sounds off the ocean floor and time
  how long it takes them to return to the ship.

4
What did they find?

1. Continental Shelf
2. Continental Slope
3. Abyssal Plains
4. Mid-Ocean Ridge
5. Seamounts
6. Trenches

5
Continental Shelf

• Looks like a flat shelf on the edge of a
  continent
• Ranges from 10km-350km wide
• Home of many ocean plants and animals because
  sunlight reaches the bottom.

6
Continental Slope

• Slope that reaches from the edge of the
  continental shelf to the ocean bottom.
• Steeper than the continental shelf.

7
Abyssal Plains

• Flat seafloor area at the bottom of the
  continental slope
• 4000-6000km deep
• Covered in decayed animal material

8
Mid-Ocean Ridge

• Underwater chain of volcanic mountains
• Location of seafloor spreading

9
Seamounts

• Inactive volcanoes on the ocean floor. (Some may
  be active near the mid-ocean ridge)
• Volcanic Islands Seamounts that rise above the
  water

10
Trenches

• Mostly found in the Pacific Ocean.
• Deep valley on the seafloor where crust is
  returning to the mantle.
• Ex Marianas Trench deepest place in the
  Pacific Ocean. 11km deep. (Mount Everest could
  fit inside it!)

11
Name the features!
12
Here are the answers

• A Continental Slope
• B Seamounts
• C Abyssal Plain
• D Mid-Ocean Ridge
• E Volcanic Island
• F Continental Shelf
• G Trench