Global system

World Distribution of Mid-Oceanic Ridges; USGS

Three main types of plate boundaries.

The mid-ocean ridges of the world are connected and form a single global mid-oceanic ridge system
that is part of every ocean and the longest mountain range in the world. The continuous mountain
range is 65,000 km (40,000 mi) long (several times longer than the Andes, the longest continental
mountain range).[28]

Physical properties
Main article: Seawater
The total mass of the hydrosphere is about 1.4 quintillion tonnes (1.4×10 18 long tons or 1.5×1018 short
tons), which is about 0.023% of Earth's total mass. Less than 3% is freshwater; the rest is saltwater,
almost all of which is in the ocean. The area of the World Ocean is about 361.9 million square
kilometers (139.7 million square miles),[9] which covers about 70.9% of Earth's surface, and its
volume is approximately 1.335 billion cubic kilometers (320.3 million cubic miles). [9] This can be
thought of as a cube of water with an edge length of 1,101 kilometers (684 mi). Its average depth is
about 3,688 meters (12,100 ft),[9] and its maximum depth is 10,994 meters (6.831 mi) at the Mariana
Trench.[29] Nearly half of the world's marine waters are over 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) deep.[16] The vast
expanses of deep ocean (anything below 200 meters or 660 feet) cover about 66% of Earth's
surface.[30] This does not include seas not connected to the World Ocean, such as the Caspian Sea.
The bluish ocean color is a composite of several contributing agents. Prominent contributors include
dissolved organic matter and chlorophyll.[31] Mariners and other seafarers have reported that the
ocean often emits a visible glow which extends for miles at night. In 2005, scientists announced that
for the first time, they had obtained photographic evidence of this glow. [32] It is most likely caused
by bioluminescence.[33][34][35]