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Ocean Floor Vocab
Term | Definition |
---|---|
The continental shelf | an underwater landmass which extends from a continent, resulting in an area of relatively shallow water known as a shelf sea. |
The continental slope | seaward border of the continental shelf. |
The continental rise | final stage in the boundary between continents and the deepest part of the ocean. |
Abyssal plain | an underwater plain on the deep ocean floor, usually found at depths between 3000 and 6000 m. Lying generally between the foot of a continental rise and a mid-ocean ridge |
Mid-ocean ridges | underwater mountain system that consists of various mountain ranges (chains), typically having a valley known as a rift running along its spine, formed by plate tectonics. |
rift valley | formed on a divergent plate boundary, a crustal extension, a spreading apart of the surface, which is subsequently further deepened by the forces of erosion. |
Sea mounts | a mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach to the water's surface (sea level), and thus is not an island. |