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Questions and Answers
What is a continental shelf?
What is a continental shelf?
What describes the continental slope?
What describes the continental slope?
The descent of the continental shelf to the ocean floor
What is the continental rise?
What is the continental rise?
Large piles of sediment at the base of the continental slope
What comprises the continental margin?
What comprises the continental margin?
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Define seamounts.
Define seamounts.
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What is an abyssal plain?
What is an abyssal plain?
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What are mid-ocean ridges?
What are mid-ocean ridges?
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What is a rift valley?
What is a rift valley?
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Define a volcanic island.
Define a volcanic island.
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What is an ocean trench?
What is an ocean trench?
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What is the shore or shoreline?
What is the shore or shoreline?
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What is a continent?
What is a continent?
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Study Notes
Ocean Floor Features
- Continental Shelf: Extension of a continent underwater, gradually leading to the deep ocean floor.
- Continental Slope: The steep descent from the continental shelf to the ocean floor, featuring significant vertical change.
- Continental Rise: Accumulation of large sediment deposits at the base of the continental slope, contributing to oceanic geography.
Continental Structures
- Continental Margin: Composed of the continental shelf, slope, and rise, forming the transition between land and deep ocean.
Underwater Topography
- Seamounts: Volcanic underwater mountains, formed from volcanic activity, often rising significantly from the ocean floor.
- Abyssal Plain: Extensive, flat areas of the ocean floor covered with dense sediments, indicative of deep ocean ecosystems.
Geological Features
- Mid-ocean Ridges: Major underwater mountain ranges formed by the tectonic movement of oceanic plates, usually found at divergent boundaries.
- Rift Valley: Lowland areas created by the divergence of tectonic plates, often associated with volcanic activity and new ocean floor formation.
- Volcanic Islands: Land masses formed from marine volcanic eruptions, emerging prominently above the water's surface.
Oceanic Depths
- Ocean Trench: Deep, elongated depressions in the ocean floor, often resulting from subduction zones where one tectonic plate sinks beneath another.
Coastal Areas
- Shore/Shoreline: Gently sloping land area bordering the ocean, crucial for ecosystems and human activities.
- Continent: A large land mass that lies above sea level and is not submerged in water, contrasting with oceanic regions.
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Description
Test your knowledge of ocean floor terminology with this quiz. Define key geographical terms such as continental shelf, slope, and rise. Perfect for students studying marine geography or oceanography.
