Download Ocean Floor

Ocean Floor
¨ 
Continental Shelf
¤ Begins at the shoreline
¤ Gently slopes underwater
¤ Average depth of 430 feet
¤ Thick layers of sand, mud, and rocks
¤ The beach is part of the Continental Shelf
Ocean Floor
¨ 
Continental Slope
¤ Begins at the Continental Shelf
¤ Very sharp drop to depths over 2 miles
¤ Covered with thick layers of sand, mud, and
rocks
Ocean Floor
¨ 
Continental Rise
¤ Begins at the Continental Slope
¤ Gently slops to the ocean floor
¤ Covered in thick layers of sand, mud, and rocks
Ocean Floor
¨ 
Abyssal Plain
¤ Begins at the Continental Rise
¤ Flat area of the ocean floor
¤ Covered with sand, mud, and plant and animal
remains
Ocean Floor
¨ 
Parts of the Abyssal Plain
¤ Seamounts
n Undersea
Mountains
n Formed by erupting volcanoes
¤  Ocean Trenches
n Very deep canyons on the ocean floor
n Deepest ocean trench is the Marianas Trench in the
Pacific Ocean
Continental Shelf
Motion of the Ocean
¨ 
Water Line
Continental Slope
Ocean Trenches
¤ Very deep canyons on the ocean floor
Seamount
¤ Deepest ocean trench is the Marianas Trench in
the Pacific Ocean
Continental Rise
Abyssal Plain
Ocean Trench
Abyssal Plain
Motion of the Ocean
All the oceans are really one big “World Ocean”
¨  The oceans are always moving
¨  Three basic forms of motion
¤ Waves
¤ Tides
¤ Currents
¨ 
Motion of the Ocean
¨ 
Currents
¤ Ocean waters that travel in huge circular patters
¤ Mix the ocean waters of the world together
¤ Impact where ocean plants and animals live
¤ Impact movement of ships around the world
¤ Three things cause currents:
n Wind Patterns
n Temperature
n Salinity
Motion of the Ocean
¨ 
Wind Patterns
¤ Winds that blow the same direction all year can
impact currents
¤ Corollas Effect: The impact the rotation of the
earth has on wind patterns and ocean currents
Motion of the Ocean
¨ 
Temperature
¤ Currents can be created by changes in water
temperature
¤ As water heats up, it become lighter and rises
¤ As water cools off, it sinks to the bottom
¤ This up and down movement of hot and cold
water creates currents
Motion of the Ocean
¨ 
Salinity
¤  Salinity is the amount of salt in the water
¤  The heat from the sun indirectly impacts the amount
of salt in the ocean
¤  At the equator, where the sun has a greater impact
on the ocean, the water becomes hotter and more
water evaporates
¤  The more water that evaporates, the higher the
salinity of the remaining water
¤  Salty water is heavier and sinks
¤  Less salty water rises
¤  This sinking and rising creates ocean currents
Motion of the Ocean
¨ 
Examples of Currents
¤ Gulf Stream
n Runs
along the east coast of the United States
n Located in the Atlantic Ocean
n One of the strongest currents
n It is like a river of warm water flowing on top of
deeper colder ocean water
n It is the reason for Europe’s warm and mild
temperatures
Tiny Creatures – Big Impact
Plankton – Tiny free-floating organisms that live in
water
¨  Two Types
¨ 
¤  Zooplankton
– Animal Like
¤  Phytoplankton – Plant Like
Phytoplankton carry out most of the photosynthesis
on the planet, which means they provide much of
the Earth’s oxygen
¨  Phytoplankton form the base of the ocean food web
¨ 
Tiny Creatures – Big Impact
Phytoplankton carry out most of the photosynthesis
on the planet, which means they provide much of
the Earth’s oxygen
¨  Phytoplankton form the base of the ocean food web
¨  Plankton live in areas where nutrient-rich water
upwells from the deep
¨ 
Types of Rock
There are three different kinds of rock
¨  The are classified (labeled) by how they are formed
1.  Sedimentary: Layers of sediment cemented
together
¨ 
1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
Coal
Iron Ore
Flint
Sandstone
Shale
Types of Rock
There are three different kinds of rock
¨  The are classified (labeled) by how they are formed
1.  Sedimentary: Layers of sediment cemented
together
2.  Igneous: Melted and cooled
¨ 
1. 
2. 
3. 
Obsidian
Pumice
Pegmatite
Types of Rock
There are three different kinds of rock
¨  The are classified (labeled) by how they are formed
1.  Sedimentary: Layers of sediment cemented
together
2.  Igneous: Melted and cooled
3.  Metamorphic: Changed by heat and pressure
¨ 
1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
Marble
Quartzite
Slate
Soapstone
Rock Cycle
Rocks do not spend their entire lives as one type of
rock
¨  They transition from one type to another over long
periods of time
¨