Oceans
CITE
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Oceans A-Z. (2022). In Q-files Encyclopedia, Earth, Oceans. Retrieved from
https://www.q-files.com/earth/oceans/oceans-a-z
"Oceans A-Z." Earth, Oceans, Q-files Encyclopedia, 10 Feb. 2022.
https://www.q-files.com/earth/oceans/oceans-a-z.
Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
Oceans A-Z 2022. Earth, Oceans. Retrieved 19 March 2024, from
https://www.q-files.com/earth/oceans/oceans-a-z
Earth, Oceans, s.v. "Oceans A-Z," accessed March 19, 2024.
https://www.q-files.com/earth/oceans/oceans-a-z
Oceans A-Z
Abyssal plain A flat region of the ocean floor that lies about 4000–5000 metres (13,000–16,500 feet) below the ocean’s surface. It forms about 40% of the Earth’s surface.
Archipelago A chain or cluster of islands. The five chief archipelagos are: Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, New Zealand and the British Isles.
Atoll A ring of coral islands. An atoll forms where a coral reef has grown around a volcanic island. When the volcano becomes extinct, it will sink back into the ocean floor. If it does this slowly, the coral reef will keep growing upwards. When the island disappears, the atoll is all that remains.
Black smoker A dark, rocky chimney, several metres high, found near hydrothermal vents. It emits mineral-rich water from beneath the Earth’s crust.
Continental rise The gentle slope that leads from the steeper continental slope down to the flat abyssal plain.
Continental shelf The part of a continent that lies beneath ocean waters. The continental shelf is no more than 200 metres (650 feet) deep.
Continental slope The outer edge of the continental shelf that plunges down towards the abyssal plain.
Coral reef An underwater structure formed from the hard skeletons of tiny animals called polyps. Coral reefs are found in warm, clear, shallow waters.
Deep-sea trench A long, very deep valley in the ocean floor, plunging to depths of 6000–10,000 metres (20,000–33,000 feet). Deep-sea trenches occur where two tectonic plates push together, forcing one plate underneath the other one.
Gulf Stream A warm current that flows northeast from North America to northern Europe. It brings mild, wet weather to northwest Europe.
Guyot A flat-topped ocean mountain. Guyots (pronounced JEE-ohs) form when an island, originally a volcano, sinks into the ocean floor and its top is worn flat by waves.
Hydrothermal vent A crack in the seabed through which hot water spurts out. Water that has seeped into the rocks of the ocean floor is heated and blasted back up through the vents. The water from a hydrothermal vent is rich in minerals from the Earth’s crust.
Mid-Oceanic Ridge A long mountain range running along the ocean floor. It is formed where lava erupts between tectonic plates. A series of cracks, called transform faults, runs at right-angles to the Mid-Oceanic Ridge.
Ocean The vast body of salt water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. There are five oceans: in order of size, the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Southern (or Antarctic).
Sea Seas are smaller parts of an ocean that are partly enclosed by land, for example, the Mediterranean Sea or North Sea. More broadly, "the sea" is a word we use for all the Earth's ocean waters—which form a single, continuous, global ocean, although different areas of it are given different names, e.g. Pacific, Atlantic etc.
Seafloor spreading The process by which the ocean floor is steadily growing. This occurs when tectonic plates beneath the ocean pull apart. Molten rock wells up in the gap, forming new ocean floor.
Seamount An underwater mountain formed by volcanic eruptions. A seamount may rise 1000 metres (3300 feet) or more above the sea floor but does not emerge above the surface of the water.
Submarine canyon A deep, V-shaped valley on the continental shelf or slope. It is formed when currents carrying rocks wear away the ocean floor. Submarine canyons are often found near the mouths of large rivers.
Consultant: Ian Fairchild