Chapter 19- Ocean Basins

By Xani Pearce

Global Oceans

• Pacific• Atlantic• Indian• Arctic• Southern

Technology to study Oceans

• Oceanography- movement of ocean water, characteristics of the ocean floor, and the organisms that live in the ocean.

• Sonar- sound navigation and ranging, a system that uses acoustic signals to locate objects.

• Submersibles- underwater research vessels, used to study ocean depth.

• Underwater Research- using submersibles.

Boundary of Continental Crust & Oceanic Crust

• Continental Crust- shallow sea floor that is located between the shoreline and the deep-ocean bottom.

• Deep-Ocean Basin- part of the ocean floor that is under deep water beyond the continent margin and that is composed of oceanic crust and a thin layer of sediment.

Deep Basin Features

• Trenches- long, narrow and steep depressions that forms as a result of subduction of a tectonic plate.

• Abyssal Plains- a large, flat, almost level area of the deep-ocean basin.

• Ridges- forms underwater mountain ranges that run along the floors of all oceans.

Ocean Sediments

• Inorganic- rock particles that were carried from land by rivers. Volcanoes, glaciers, and meteorites contribute to sediment emptying.

• Biogenic- originally produced by living organisms. The remains of marine plants and animals create biogenic sediments.

• Chemical- when substances are dissolved in ocean water crystallize, they form nodules, which is formed by chemical substances.

The End!