Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the third-largest ocean in the world?
What is the third-largest ocean in the world?
The Indian Ocean
What type of plate boundary is the Mid-Indian Ridge an example of?
What type of plate boundary is the Mid-Indian Ridge an example of?
Divergent Boundary
What is the deepest part of the world's oceans?
What is the deepest part of the world's oceans?
The Mariana Trench.
Which of the following is NOT an effect of ocean currents?
Which of the following is NOT an effect of ocean currents?
What is the process that drives thermohaline circulation?
What is the process that drives thermohaline circulation?
Which of the following is NOT a component of the blue economy?
Which of the following is NOT a component of the blue economy?
Which of the following is NOT a challenge faced by the blue economy?
Which of the following is NOT a challenge faced by the blue economy?
The ocean's biological resources include plants, animals, and minerals.
The ocean's biological resources include plants, animals, and minerals.
Give three examples of minerals dissolved in seawater.
Give three examples of minerals dissolved in seawater.
What type of energy resource is generated by utilizing the temperature differential between cooler deep and warmer shallow or surface seawaters?
What type of energy resource is generated by utilizing the temperature differential between cooler deep and warmer shallow or surface seawaters?
What is the term for the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of the ecosystem?
What is the term for the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of the ecosystem?
Flashcards
Indian Ocean Bottom Topography
Indian Ocean Bottom Topography
The shape and features of the Indian Ocean's seafloor, influenced by tectonic plate interactions.
Mid-Indian Ridge
Mid-Indian Ridge
A prominent mid-ocean ridge in the Indian Ocean where tectonic plates are diverging (moving apart).
Deep Ocean Basins
Deep Ocean Basins
Large, relatively flat areas of the seafloor in the Indian Ocean, characterized by depths exceeding 4000 meters.
Sunda Trench
Sunda Trench
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Seamounts
Seamounts
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Continental Shelves
Continental Shelves
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Tectonic Plates
Tectonic Plates
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Subduction
Subduction
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Divergent Boundary
Divergent Boundary
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Oceanic Trenches
Oceanic Trenches
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Study Notes
Unit 4: Indian Ocean
- The Indian Ocean's bottom topography is dynamic due to interactions of tectonic plates (Indo-Australian, African, Eurasian, and Antarctic).
- It's a major maritime trade route connecting Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.
- The dynamic geology and diverse marine life make it a significant area for research.
Indian Ocean Characteristics
- Third largest ocean, covering about 27 million square miles (70 million square kilometers).
- Surrounded by Africa to the west, Asia to the north, Australia to the east, and southern Indian Ocean islands to the south.
- The only ocean named after a country (India).
- Diverse coastlines, including arid deserts, tropical rainforests, savannas, and urban areas.
- Monsoon winds significantly influence the climate and weather, especially the Southwest Monsoon bringing heavy summer rains to the Indian subcontinent.
- Rich marine ecosystem with coral reefs, seagrass beds, and various marine species (whales, dolphins, sharks, colorful reef fish).
Ocean Topography
- Complex bottom topography including deep ocean basins, mid-ocean ridges, oceanic trenches, and seamounts.
- Mid-Indian Ridge is a prominent mid-ocean ridge running north-south through the central Indian Ocean.
- This ridge represents a divergent boundary between the African and Indo-Australian Plates.
- Several deep ocean basins, like Arabian, Somali, Mozambique, and Central Indian Basins, are characterized by their relatively flat abyssal seafloors with depths exceeding 4,000 meters (13,000 feet).
- Oceanic trenches, such as the Sunda Trench (Java Trench), are located in subduction zones where tectonic plates collide and one descends beneath the other.
Ocean Features
- Oceanic trenches in the Indian Ocean, including the Sunda Trench, mark subduction zones.
- Island chains and archipelagos (Maldives, Seychelles, and Chagos Archipelago) are often located on underwater ridges or plateaus.
- Continental shelves are submerged extensions of continents, important for fisheries and oil/gas exploration.
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