Ocean Floor Geography and Marine Ecosystems

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on Master Key Geography (Std. 8) covering ocean floor structures, marine oozes, continental margins, and oceanic pollution.

Continental Shelf

The shallow region of the ocean bed where sunlight reaches the floor, supporting the growth of algae and plankton, providing extensive fishing grounds, and allowing the mining of natural gas, mineral oil, and minerals.

Submerged Hills and Mountains

Elevation features found on the ocean bed that are hundreds of kilometres wide and thousands of kilometres long.

Marine Islands

Oceanic landforms created when the peaks of submerged hills and sea mountains rise above sea level.

Continental Slope

The narrow, steeply sloping part of the ocean floor beyond the continental shelf, extending from $200\,\text{m}$ to $3600\,\text{m}$ in depth, with its lower edge considered to be the boundary of continents.

Marine Oozes

Fine clay deposits on the ocean bed comprising about $30\%$ of total deposits, made from volcanic lava, ash, fine soil particles, and the remains of marine plants and animals.

Oceanic Pollution

The contamination of marine ecosystems and the hydrosphere caused by human disposal of sewage, solid waste, radioactive material, waste chemicals, and plastics into the oceans.