All About Oceanic land-forms

(Image Source: noaa.gov)

About 71% of Earth’s surface is covered with water. It is said to be the only planet in the solar
system that has water on its surface and is known as the ‘water planet’. 

At the first glimpse what we see is the abundant water present on the surface of the ocean, but
deep down there is an underwater landscape. 

While the ocean has an average depth of 2.3 miles, the shape and depth of the seafloor are
complex. Discussed below are the four major divisions of the ocean floors and each of their
features. 

1. The Continental Shelf

(Image source: Wikipedia)

 The term “continental shelf” is used by geologists generally to mean that part of the
continental margin which is between the shoreline and the shelf break
 A continental shelf is the edge of a continent that lies under the ocean
 It extends from the coastline of a continent to a drop-off point called the shelf break
  The definition of the continental shelf and the criteria by which a coastal State may
establish the outer limits of its continental shelf are set out in article 76 of the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
 The continental margin consists of the seabed and subsoil of the shelf, the slope and the
rise
 Ocean currents and runoff from rivers bring nutrients to organisms that live on
continental shelves
 It may be as shallow as 30 m in some areas while in some areas it is as deep as 600 m
 Plants and algae make continental shelves rich feeding grounds for sea creatures
 The shallow water over the shelf enables sunlight to penetrate through the water to the
bottom and encourages the growth of microscopic plants and animals called planktons,
which are the food for fishes
 The waters along the continental shelf are usually productive, both from light and
nutrients from upwelling
 Enormous sedimentary deposits received over a long time by the continental shelves, turn
out to be the source of fossil fuels

2. The Continental Slope

(Image Source – Coastalwiki)

 It is the seaward border of the continental shelf

 About 8.5% of the ocean floor is covered by the continental slope-rise system
 This system is an expression of the edge of the continental crustal block. Beyond the
shelf-slope break, the continental crust thins quickly, and the rise lies partly on the
continental crust and partly on the oceanic crust of the deep sea
 The gradient of the slope region varies between 2-5°. The depth of the slope region varies
between 200 and 3,000 m.

 They have very little deposits of sediments on them due to their steepness
 In comparison to the continental shelf, the sea life is also very less
 Canyons and trenches are seen in this region
  The belt at the base of the continental slope that comprises sedimentary deposits, is
known as Continental Rise

3. Abyssal Plains

(Image source: Wikipedia)

 Continuing your journey across the ocean basin, you would descend the steep continental
slope to the abyssal plain
 This covers about 70% of the ocean floor
 Abyssal plains are the largest habitat on earth
 These deep, dark ecosystems are less productive than those along the continental
shelf. It is because the sunlight does not penetrate through it
 The name may suggest that is it plain, but actually, they are not uniformly flat
 They are interrupted underwater mountains that are also biodiversity hotspots
 They cover a major portion of the ocean floors between the depths of 3000m to 6000m
 ‘Oozes’, the sediments formed from the remains of living things, can be found on the
floor of the abyssal plain
 The abyssal plains’ floor also comprises sediments of red clay which are of volcanic
origin and are generally brought over by the wind
 Two types of relief features can be found on the abyssal plains. These include:
o Submarine Ridges – They are the ocean mountains that occur near the middle of
the oceans. Another name for Submarine Ridges is mid-oceanic ridges. Volcanism
and earthquakes are frequent. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is the largest continuous
submerged mountain ridge
o Seamounts and Guyots – These are submerged volcanoes with sharp tops.
Seamounts with a flattened top are called as Guyots or Tablemounts

4. Ocean Trenches
(Image Source: Wikipedia)

 After scaling the mid-ocean ridge and traversing hundreds to thousands of miles of
abyssal plains, comes the Ocean Trenches
 They are long, narrow depressions on the seafloor
 are found in every ocean basin on the planet, although the deepest ocean trenches ring the
Pacific as part of the so-called “Ring of Fire” that also includes active volcanoes and
earthquake zones
 They are also known as Submarine Trenches
 The Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean is the deepest known part of the world
 The Pacific Ocean has the largest number of ocean trenches in the world