The Oceans of the World

13.1

The Pacific Ocean

• Largest• Circular Shape• Average Depth: 4.1

km• Deepest Ocean• Size:

– 181,344 sq km

Pacific

• Seas:– Japan– Bering– Coral– S. China

Pacific Ocean

• Shape– Circular– Trenches all around the edges

Pacific Ocean

• Ridge– East Pacific Rise

• Extends N to the Gulf of California

http://ace.acadiau.ca/science/geol/rraeside/quizzes/worldmap3p.htm

Pacific Ocean

• Ridge Features– No central rift valley– Easter Island & Galapagos are part of this

volcanic mountain chain

Tectonic Activity within the Pacific Ocean

• Seismic activity along the edges of the ocean

• “Ring of Fire”

• Earthquakes along edges of Pacific Plate

• Volcanoes along edges of Pacific Plate

Trenches of the Pacific

• Marianas Trench:– 2,500 m long– 11,033 m deep ~ 7 miles deep– Deepest place on earth– East of Philippines

• Trenches mark the boundary between the ocean and continental crust

• Trenches occur at subduction zones

The Atlantic Ocean

• Size: 94,314 sq km• Avg. Depth 3.8 km• Seas within the

ocean:– Mediterranean– Caribbean– Baltic– Gulf of Mexico

Atlantic Ocean

• Shape of the Ocean:– Narrow– Long 6,800 mi long

north to south

Atlantic Ocean• Ridge:

– Mid-Atlantic Ridge– Symmetrical on each side– Sea floor spreading occurs here– Longest chain of volcanic mountains– Features:

• Fractured• rift is 2000 m lower than mountains

http://www.ocean.udel.edu/kiosk/bsmoker.html

Tectonic Activity within the Atlantic Ocean

• Earthquakes occur at the center of the rift

• http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/viewArticle.do?id=2394&archives=true

Geographic Features of the Atlantic Ocean

• Abyssal plains– Flat with sedimentary

deposits

• Sea mounts• Coral atolls

Trenches of the Atlantic

• Sandwich Trench South America

• Puerto Rico Trench– 8648 m deep– 1,500 km long

Indian Ocean

• Size:– 74,118 sq km

• Average depth: 3.8 km

• Seas: – Arabian sea

Indian Ocean

• Shape of the ocean:– Triangular

http://ace.acadiau.ca/science/geol/rraeside/quizzes/worldmap3i.htm

Indian Ocean Ridge

• Mid Indian Ridge is shaped like:

Indian Ocean Ridge

• Rugged

• Seismically active – Earthquakes

Features of the Indian ocean floor

• Abyssal plains

Trenches of the Indian Ocean

• Java Trench:– 4,500 km long– 7,725 m deep

Arctic Ocean

• Size: 12,257 sq km

• Average Depth: 1.1 km

• Shape: circular

Ridges of the Arctic Ocean

• Alpha

• Lomonosov

• Mid-Atlantic

Geographic Features of the Arctic Ocean

• 3 basins

• Eurasian Basin is the deepest point: 5,450 m

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