Exploring the Ocean Floor

1
Exploring the Ocean Floor Its Features

• By
• Samantha Hillistad
• Darlin Garcia
• Ilse Garcia

2
Table of Contents

• Sediments
• Sonar
• Submersibles
• Divisions
• Mid-Ocean Ridges
• Trenches
• Abyssal Plains
• Seamounts

3
Sediments

• The Ocean floor is flat because of sediments
  constantly building up, at an even rate.
• 3 types
• 1.) Siliceous oozes
• 2.) Calcareous oozes
• 3.) red clay
• These sediments accumulate very slowly, just a
  few centimeters per millennium.

4
Sonar

• Sonar is an acronym for sound navigation ranging.
• The ocean bottom is mapped out using sound waves.
• The pulse of sound spreads out through the water
  and is reflected back again by objects in the
  water e.g. ocean bottom, a fish, or a submarine.

5
Submersibles

• Submersibles are used for studying and observing
  the deepest depths in the ocean.
• Two Basic Types of submersibles
• A) The remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is
  controlled by the surface by a tether, or
  cable.
• B) The untethered ROV, more generally called an
  autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) eliminates
  the cable and carries its own power.

6
Divisions

7
Mid-Ocean Ridges

• They are a continuous series of underwater
  mountain ranges.
• Formed by a divergent plate boundary.
• Only in a few places do mid-ocean ridges rise
  above sea level.

8
Trenches
These long, narrow depressions are located along
the Pacific Ring of Fire.
The Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the
ocean. a) It is almost 7 mi (11 km) below
sea level. b) Its deepest part is known as
the Challenger Deep. c) Formed by a
convergent plate boundary.
9
Abyssal Plains

• Approximately 40 of the planets ocean floor is
  covered by these features.
• Depths are over 6,500ft (1,980 m) below sea
  level.
• Also known as the continental shelf.
• Organisms living here have specialized body
  structures designed to handle the great pressure.

10
Seamounts
Rise from the seafloor and do not break the waters surface. If tall enough to break the sea surface, they are called oceanic islands. (Hawaii)
Underwater volcanic mountains. Might stay volcanically active for 2-3 million years, while on a hot spot.

• Above 1,000m seamount
• Between 500-1,000m
• knoll
• Below 500mhill