Ocean floorOcean floor

The ocean floor Many of the important features of the

oceans are hidden in deep water.

The continental margin is the region around continents that includes the: continental shelf, continental slope, and continental rise.

The continental shelf Sand drifting down the steep face of a

continental shelf cuts into the shelf just like streams cut into valleys.

Features of the ocean floor Maps can show

the location of the continental shelf.

The true ocean floor is called the abyssal plain.

It is flat and smooth because a thick layer of sediment covers its features.

The deep ocean floor A barrier island is

a low, sandy island that lies parallel to the shoreline.

A bank is a low, flat region on the continental shelf.

A seamount is a steep-sided mountain that rises from the ocean floor.

The deep ocean floor A guyot is a

seamount that has eroded so that it has a flat top and is underwater.

Mid-ocean ridges mark places where two tectonic plates are separating and new ocean crust is being made.

Deep-ocean trenches are the deepest parts of the ocean.

Investigation 22C

Key Question: How do temperature and salinity cause

ocean layering?

Global Winds and Ocean Currents

Rip Currents

More than 80% of water rescues performed by surf beach lifeguards are due to rip currents.

Rip currents are sometimes called riptides, or undertow. Learn why these two terms are misleading.