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Ocean Landforms
Vocabulary Fold study tool for oceanic landforms
Term | Definition |
---|---|
abyssal plains | the deepest part of the ocean floor made up of flat or gently sloping hills and flat plains located on either side of the mid-ocean ridge |
continental shelf | part of the continent that is located under the water where the edges of the continents slope down from the shore into ocean with varying width that can be fairly shallow or very deep-this is not the deepest part of the ocean |
continental slope | the steep slope where the continental shelf drops to the bottom of the ocean floor and the depth of the ocean water greatly increases |
landforms | physical features on the Earth’s surface |
mid-ocean ridge | a central ridge, or mountain range, made up of underwater volcanic mountains on the bottom of the ocean that divides the ocean floor into two parts |
rift zone | a narrow trench in the center of the highest part of the mid-ocean ridge where underwater volcanic activity adds mountains to either side of the mid-ocean ridge |
seamount | underwater volcanic mountains not formed on the mid-ocean ridge |
trench | the deepest part of the ocean basin and are deeper than any valley found on land |