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Geological Oceonagraphy

  • 71% of the earth is covered by water

    • N. Hemisphere ~ 60%

    • S. Hemisphere ~ 81%

  • Oceans are the main source of saltwater

    • 5 oceans that scientists identified but refer to as the main bodies that create waves, currents, and other ocean phenomena

    • Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, Arctic

      • Out of the 5, the Southern is the newest, relatively identified

    • Pacific is the largest/deepest

    • Atlantic is the second largest, and the smallest is the Arctic. The Southern Ocean is the second smallest

  • Earth is created based on density

    • Density: how much something weighs in a particular area

    • The more weight is spread out, the easier it is to manage

      • Ex) An 80-pound cell phone versus an 80-pound ceiling. You can hold up the latter in one hand

    1. Oceanic Crust (Oceanic plates/Continental plates)

    • Younger, thinner, but extremely heavy

    1. Continental crust

    • Older, thicker, but lighter

  • Both of them are lighter than the mantle

  • Diverging plates vs Converging plates

    • Diverging plates:

      • Move away from each other

      • Forms mid-ocean ridge

        • Big crack in the Atlantic Ocean, from the N. Pole to S. Pole, the only part of Earth where new land is being formed constantly is in the Atlantic Ocean

    • Convergent plates:

      • 2 oceanic crusts form a subduction zone

        • Deep sea trench

          • Lots of lifeforms in these environments are undiscovered

  • Subduction zones: The region where an oceanic plate sinks down into the asthenosphere at a convergent boundary, between continental and oceanic plates

  • Hydrothermal vents:

    • Organisms are constantly being found and identified in the hydrothermal vents, they’re a land of their own

    • Lots of bacteria and fish

  • The Pacific Ocean has converging plates, the Atlantic Ocean has diverging

  • Further elaboration: You can walk around 100 yards in the Atlantic Ocean on the East Coast and still be only ankle high. However, if you take a few steps in the Pacific, you’ll be met with a steep drop because there is only a tiny portion of the water is shallow

  • Earthquake activity is increased towards the Pacific, a tsunami is formed by earthquakes, and there’s more earthquake activity there

  • A huge amount of energy in a small space increases its pressure. The pressure creates a massive tsunami, and the drastic change of slope forces the water to be pressurized

    • Earthquakes have to happen in the open ocean

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Geological Oceonagraphy

  • 71% of the earth is covered by water

    • N. Hemisphere ~ 60%

    • S. Hemisphere ~ 81%

  • Oceans are the main source of saltwater

    • 5 oceans that scientists identified but refer to as the main bodies that create waves, currents, and other ocean phenomena

    • Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, Arctic

      • Out of the 5, the Southern is the newest, relatively identified

    • Pacific is the largest/deepest

    • Atlantic is the second largest, and the smallest is the Arctic. The Southern Ocean is the second smallest

  • Earth is created based on density

    • Density: how much something weighs in a particular area

    • The more weight is spread out, the easier it is to manage

      • Ex) An 80-pound cell phone versus an 80-pound ceiling. You can hold up the latter in one hand

    1. Oceanic Crust (Oceanic plates/Continental plates)

    • Younger, thinner, but extremely heavy

    1. Continental crust

    • Older, thicker, but lighter

  • Both of them are lighter than the mantle

  • Diverging plates vs Converging plates

    • Diverging plates:

      • Move away from each other

      • Forms mid-ocean ridge

        • Big crack in the Atlantic Ocean, from the N. Pole to S. Pole, the only part of Earth where new land is being formed constantly is in the Atlantic Ocean

    • Convergent plates:

      • 2 oceanic crusts form a subduction zone

        • Deep sea trench

          • Lots of lifeforms in these environments are undiscovered

  • Subduction zones: The region where an oceanic plate sinks down into the asthenosphere at a convergent boundary, between continental and oceanic plates

  • Hydrothermal vents:

    • Organisms are constantly being found and identified in the hydrothermal vents, they’re a land of their own

    • Lots of bacteria and fish

  • The Pacific Ocean has converging plates, the Atlantic Ocean has diverging

  • Further elaboration: You can walk around 100 yards in the Atlantic Ocean on the East Coast and still be only ankle high. However, if you take a few steps in the Pacific, you’ll be met with a steep drop because there is only a tiny portion of the water is shallow

  • Earthquake activity is increased towards the Pacific, a tsunami is formed by earthquakes, and there’s more earthquake activity there

  • A huge amount of energy in a small space increases its pressure. The pressure creates a massive tsunami, and the drastic change of slope forces the water to be pressurized

    • Earthquakes have to happen in the open ocean