ESS - Ocean Basins

Seamount

Seamount

A large, underwater volcanic mountain rising at least 1,000 meters above the surrounding seafloor.

Abyssal plain

Flat or gently sloping areas of the deep ocean floor, typically found at depths between 4,000 and 6,000 meters.

Abyssal hill

Small, underwater hills on the ocean floor, usually less than 1,000 meters in height.

Atoll

A ring-shaped coral reef, island, or series of islets surrounding a central lagoon, often found in warm, tropical waters.

Oceanic ridge

A continuous underwater mountain range formed by plate tectonics where new oceanic crust is created.

Trench

A deep, narrow depression in the ocean floor, typically found at convergent plate boundaries where one tectonic plate is forced beneath another.

Island arc

A curved chain of volcanic islands formed at a convergent boundary where an oceanic plate is subducted beneath another plate.

Island chain

A series of islands, often formed by volcanic activity or tectonic processes, arranged in a line or curve.

Gas hydrate (clathrate) deposit

A crystalline solid consisting of gas molecules, typically methane, trapped within a lattice of water molecules, found in permafrost or beneath the seafloor.

Guyot

A flat-topped, submerged volcanic mountain with a broad summit, typically formed by erosion and subsidence.

Hydrothermal vent

Openings in the ocean floor from which geothermally heated water emerges, often rich in minerals and supporting unique ecosystems.

Continental rise

A gently sloping accumulation of sediment at the base of the continental slope, marking the transition between continental and oceanic crust.

Continental slope

The steeply inclined region of the continental margin between the continental shelf and the continental rise.

Continental shelf

The shallow, submerged platform extending from the shoreline to the continental slope, characterized by relatively gentle slopes.

Submarine canyon

Deep, steep-sided valleys cut into the continental slope and shelf by underwater currents or geological processes.

Barrier reef

A coral reef separated from the mainland or island shore by a lagoon, often parallel to the coastline.

Rift zone

A region of Earth's crust where tectonic plates are moving apart, typically marked by volcanic activity and the formation of new oceanic crust.

Fracture zone

A linear zone of fractures in Earth's crust, often associated with tectonic plate boundaries or the movement of oceanic crust.

List Convective Cells

Polar Cell, Ferrel Cell, Hadley Cell

List Wind Belts

Polar Easterlies, Westerlies, East Trade Winds, Westerlies, Polar Easterlies

Doldrums

the belt around the Earth near the equator where sailing ships sometimes get stuck on windless waters

Normal Conditions

Australia: Low pressure (rain), hot water. SA: High pressure, cold upwelling)

El Nino

Australia: High pressure (hot) cooler water SA: Low pressure (rain mudslides) hot water

La nina

Aus: Low pressure (rain) hot, SA: more upwelling (hot surface)

2 plates

Nazca Plate (both convergent and divergent) Juan de fuca plate(convergent)