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The depth of the seafloor on the flanks of a mid-ocean ridge is determined mainly by the age of the oceanic lithosphere; older seafloor is deeper. During seafloor spreading, lithosphere and mantle cooling, contraction, and isostatic adjustment with age cause seafloor deepening. This relationship has come to be better understood since around ...
Bathymetry (/ bəˈθɪmətri /; from Ancient Greek βαθύς (bathús) 'deep' and μέτρον (métron) 'measure') [1][2] is the study of underwater depth of ocean floors (seabed topography), lake floors, or river floors. In other words, bathymetry is the underwater equivalent to hypsometry or topography. The first recorded evidence of water ...
Marine sediment. v. t. e. The seabed (also known as the seafloor, sea floor, ocean floor, and ocean bottom) is the bottom of the ocean. All floors of the ocean are known as 'seabeds'. The structure of the seabed of the global ocean is governed by plate tectonics. Most of the ocean is very deep, where the seabed is known as the abyssal plain.
The General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) is a publicly available bathymetric chart of the world's oceans. The project was conceived with the aim of preparing a global series of charts showing the general shape of the seafloor. Over the years it has become a reference map of the bathymetry of the world's oceans for scientists and others.
Schematic representation of pelagic and benthic zones. The deep sea is broadly defined as the ocean depth where light begins to fade, at an approximate depth of 200 m (660 ft) or the point of transition from continental shelves to continental slopes. [ 1 ][ 2 ] Conditions within the deep sea are a combination of low temperatures, darkness, and ...
t. e. The abyssal zone or abyssopelagic zone is a layer of the pelagic zone of the ocean. The word abyss comes from the Greek word ἄβυσσος (ábussos), meaning "bottomless". [1] At depths of 4,000–6,000 m (13,000–20,000 ft), [2] this zone remains in perpetual darkness. [3][4] It covers 83% of the total area of the ocean and 60% of ...
The terms "the ocean" or "the sea" used without specification refer to the interconnected body of salt water covering the majority of Earth's surface. [10][11] It includes the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern/Antarctic, and Arctic oceans. [19] As a general term, "the ocean" and "the sea" are often interchangeable.
A bathymetric chart is a type of isarithmic map that depicts the submerged bathymetry and physiographic features of ocean and sea bottoms. [1] Their primary purpose is to provide detailed depth contours of ocean topography as well as provide the size, shape and distribution of underwater features. Topographic maps display elevation above ground ...