Geo 18.1-18.4 (copy)

Coast

Where the belt of land bordering the sea, 60% of global human population live here

Bathymetry

word used to describe variation in depth

Plumb line

a lead weight attached to a cable

continental shelf

a broad, shallowly submerged fringe of a continent. Depth is generally less than 200m

Abyssal plain

a broad, relatively flat region of the ocean that lies at least 4.5km below sea level

passive continental margins

continental margin that does not coincide with a plate boundary, and therefore does not display seismicity

Passive margin basin

the region along a passive margin that accumulates thick wedges of sediment

Submarine canyons

A narrow, steep canyon that dissects a continental shelf and slope

Submarine fan

when turbidity currents reach the base of a continental slope and sediments settle out, creating an accumulation of sediments

active continental margin

a continental margin that coincides with a plate boundary

Pelagic sediment

Microscopic plankton shells and fine flakes of clay that settle out and accumulate on the deep-ocean floor

Seamount

an isolated submarine mountain

Oceanic plateau

A region of oceanic floor that is higher than surrounding areas; such regions have particularly thick ocean crust and are relicts of submarine igneous provinces

Salinity

the degree of concentration of salt in water

Where does the salt in seawater come from?

chemical weathering of rocks and volcanic gases

Heat capacity

water can absorb or release large amounts of heat without having a drastic change in temperature

Tide

The daily rising or falling of sea level at a given point on the Earth

Tidal range

the difference in sea level between high tide and low tide at a given point

Intertidal zone

The region of land that is submerged at high tide, but exposed at low tide

tide-generating force

caused by gravitational attraction of the Sun and Moon and by the centrifugal force created by the Earth’s spin

Forces that Generate tides: Centrifugal force

the apparent outward-directed force that material on an object feels when the object spins or moves in orbit around a point

Forces that Generate Tides: Earth-Moon System

refers to the pair of objects viewed as a unit as they move together through space