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Ocean Topography
Term | Definition |
---|---|
continental shelf | the gradually sloping end of a continent that extends beneath the ocean |
continental slope | the slope between the outer edge of the continental shelf and the deep ocean floor |
ocean trench | a steep, long depression in the deep-sea floor that runs parallel to a plate boundary and marks an subduction zone |
mid-ocean ridge | a long, under sea mountain chain that forms along the ocean floor. It is formed where two tectonic plates meet at a divergent boundary. |
abyssal plains | a large, flat, almost level area in the deep ocean |
hydrothermal vent | a fissure or creak on the Earth's surface from which geothermally heated water is released |
volcanic island | formed by a build up of cooled lava that builds up above the surface of the ocean, example, the Hawaiian Islands |
seamount | a volcanic mountain that is below the ocean surface |