Marine biology 2

mid-ocean ridge

underwater mountain ranges formed by plate tectonics

seamount

volcanoes more than 1km tall

oceanic trench

a deep v shaped depression on the ocean floor formed by convergent boundaries

continental shelf

extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain, covered by shallow seas and bays

abbyssal plain

deep sea regions that are covered by thick layers of fine sediments that eventually form a smooth surface

continental slope

the transition between the shelf and the deep ocean floor

abyssal hill

a small floor that rises from the floor of an abyssal plain

guyot

a seamount with a fat top that were once volcanic islands that were eroded by waves

rift valley

a low land area created by Earth's tectonics plates when they pull apart as in divergent boundary

continental rise

the part that's close to the deep sea floor but isn't continental slope