Major Features of Ocean Floor

The major features of ocean floor are-

A.Continental Margins:

i.Continental Shelf: The shallow submerged extension of a continent is called the continental shelf.

ii.Continental Slope: The zone of steep slope extending from the continental shelf to the deep ocean floor is called continental slope.

iii.Continental Rise: Along passive margins the oceanic crust at the base of the continental slope is covered by an apron of accumulated sediment called the continental rise.

Fig: Continental Margins

B.Deep-Ocean Basin:

iv.Abyssal Plain: Abyssal plains is an underwater plain on the deep ocean floor, usually found at depths between 3000 metres & 6000 metres.

v.Abyssal Hill: Abyssal hills a small hill that rises from the floor of an abyssal plain.

vi.Seamounts: Seamounts is an volcanic projections that developed above the abyssal plains that do not rise above the surface of the sea.

vii.Guyots: Guyots are flat-topped seamounts or volcanic hills.

viii.Ocean Trenches: Ocean trenches is an arc-shaped depression in the deep ocean floor.

ix.Island Arc: Island arcs is an curving chains of volcanic islands & seamounts, are almost always found paralleling the concave edges of trenches.

x.Mid-Ocean Ridge: Mid-Ocean ridges is a seafloor mountain or volcanic that formed by plate tectonics that are most extensive relief features not only of the ocean basins but of the entire globe.

Fig: Deep-ocean basin