abyssal zone: Related ContentCite Share Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia BritannicaPhotosSee All Images → Related Topics and ReferencesTopicsabyssal plainmarine ecosystembathyal zoneneritic zonebottom waterlittoral zonehaloclinephotic zonedeep-scattering layerRelated...
Atlantic Ocean, body of salt water covering about one-fifth of Earth’s surface and separating the continents of Europe and Africa to the east from those of North and South America to the west. Its name, derived from Greek mythology, means the ‘Sea of A
Breaking up the uniformity of the abyssal plain, the seamounts and canyons provide solid ground where colourful corals and gardens of sponge create complex reefs. COMING SOON 1. The Twilight Zone Just below 100 metres, the ocean midwater becomes a world of gloom, where dazzling bioluminescent dri...
The ocean covers about 71% of the Earth, has the majority of organisms living in it, and it provides most of the oxygen that is in the atmosphere. It is also responsible for the majority of weather patterns, therefore it is important to study the ocean. ...
Indian Ocean, body of salt water covering about one-fifth of the world ocean area. It is the smallest, youngest, and physically most complex of the world’s three major oceans (Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian). It stretches for more than 6,200 miles (10,00
As the continents are approached and the rugged Mid-Atlantic Ridge is left behind, an abyssal plain first is encountered, followed by the smooth, undulating surface of the continental rise. These broad embankments, which lie at depths of some 8,000 to 15,000 feet (2,400 to 4,500 metres)...
shelf and on the slope that dips downward to theabyssal plain, buried salt domes occur at various depths; economically important deposits of oil andnatural gasare associated with them. The abyssal plain, which forms the floor of the gulf, consists of a large triangular area near the centre, ...
The abyssal plain, which forms the floor of the gulf, consists of a large triangular area near the centre, bounded by abrupt fault scarps toward Florida and the Yucatán Peninsula and by more gentle slopes to the north and west. The basin is unusually flat, having a gradient of only about...
(about 2,600,000 to 11,700 years ago). The deep floor of the bay is occupied by a vast abyssal (deep-sea) plain that slopes to the south. The mainsubmarinefeatures include the beginning of the long, seismically activeJava Trenchnear the Nicobar-Sumatra mainland and of the aseismic ...
These were former estuaries when the shoreline was at the margin of the continental shelf during the Pleistocene Epoch (about 2,600,000 to 11,700 years ago). The deep floor of the bay is occupied by a vast abyssal (deep-sea) plain that slopes to the south. The main submarine features ...