Ocean basin any of several vast submarine regions that collectively cover nearly three quarters of earth s surface.
What are some main features of the ocean floor.
If you follow the ocean floor out from the beach at the top left the seafloor gently slopes along the continental shelf.
Look at figure 14 23.
You ll see underwater mountains called seamounts cliffs trenches and abysses.
The under water topography maps have been developed by the study of ocean floor topography.
The following features are shown at example depths to scale though each feature has a considerable.
A number of major features of the basins depart.
These areas are among the flattest and least explored on the earth s surface.
Together they contain the overwhelming majority of all water on the planet and have an average depth of almost 4 km about 2 5 miles.
The landscape of the ocean floor is much like what you see on land just way more dramatic and without all that life.
This graphic shows several ocean floor features on a scale from 0 35 000 feet below sea level.
The abyssal plain has a depth between 2 200 and 5 500 m 7 200 and 18 000 ft and covers about 40 of the ocean floor.
Ocean floor topography involves the study of ocean bottom features including the outer continental shelf continental slopes and ocean waves desktops.
Some features like canyons and seamounts might look familiar while others such as hydrothermal vents and methane seeps are unique to the deep.