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CHAPTER 3
Marine Provinces
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Bathymetry – measuring ocean depths
It was once thought that the deepest
parts of the ocean were in the middle
of the ocean basins
○ But that is now known not to be true
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Fathom
○ Standard unit of measurement for ocean
depth
○ 1.8 meters (~6ft)
Measuring bathymetry
Ocean depths and topography of ocean floor
 “Sounding”
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 Rope/wire with heavy weight
○ Known as lead lining
○ When it hit bottom, it would be pulled up and measured
○ That’s where the term “fathom” came from, 1 fathom = outstretched
arm

Echo sounding
 Reflection of sound signals
 1925 German ship Meteor
Measuring bathymetry
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Precision depth recorder (PDR) 1950s
 Focused beam
 Helped confirm plate tectonics
Multi-beam echo sounders
 AND
 Side-scan sonar

 More detailed “picture” of sea floor
Measuring bathymetry
Fig. 3.2
Measuring bathymetry
Satellite measurements –
 measure ocean surface that corresponds with bathymetry
 Deep areas like trenches exert lower gravitational pull, higher areas
such as seamounts exert more gravitational pull
 Differences affect sea level that can be detected by satellite
 Seismic reflection profiles
 looks at ocean structure beneath sea floor

Ocean provinces

3 major provinces
 Continental margins
○ Shallow-water areas close to shore
 Deep-ocean basins
○ Deep-water areas farther from land
 Mid-ocean ridge
○ Submarine mountain range
Continental margins
Passive or active
 Passive

 Not close to any plate boundary
 No major tectonic activity
 Example: east coast of United
States
Continental margins
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Active (2 types)
 Associated with convergent or transform plate
boundaries
 Much tectonic activity
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1 - Convergent active margin
 Oceanic-continental convergence
 Example: western South America
2 - Transform active margin
 Associated with transform plate
boundaries
 Example: Coastal California along the
San Andreas fault
Continental margin features
Continental shelf
 Shelf break
 Continental slope
 Continental rise

Continental shelf
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Extends from shoreline
to shelf break
Shallow, low relief,
gently sloping
Similar topography to
adjacent coast
Average width 70 km
(43 m) but can extend
to 1500 km (930 m)
Average depth of shelf
break 135 m (443 ft)
Continental slope
Change in gradient from shelf
 Average gradient 4o
 Submarine canyons cut into slope by
turbidity currents

 Mixture of seawater and sediments
 Move under influence of gravity
 Erode canyons
 Deposit sediments at base of slope
Continental slope and submarine canyons
Continental rise
 Transition
between continental
crust and oceanic crust
 Submarine fans
Deep ocean basin features
 Abyssal
plains
 Volcanic peaks
 Ocean trenches
 Volcanic arcs
Abyssal plains
Very flat depositional surfaces from base of
continental rise
 Suspension settling of very fine particles
 Sediments cover ocean crust irregularities
 Well-developed in Atlantic and Indian oceans

Volcanic peaks
 Poke
through sediment cover
 Below sea level:
 Seamounts, tablemounts, or guyots at
least 1 km (0.6 m) above sea floor
 Abyssal hills or seaknolls are less than
1 km
 Above
sea level:
 Volcanic islands
Ocean trenches
 Linear,
narrow, steep-sided
 Associated with subduction zones
 Deepest parts of ocean
 Mariana Trench, 11,022 m (36,161
ft)
 Majority in Pacific Ocean
Ocean trenches
Volcanic arcs
 Landward
 Island
side of ocean trench
arc
 Chain of islands, e.g., Japan
 Continental
arc
 Volcanic mountain range, e.g., Andes
Mountains
Mid-ocean ridge
Longest mountain chain
 On average, 2.5 km (1.5 miles) above
surrounding sea floor
 Wholly volcanic
 Divergent plate boundary

Mid-ocean ridge features
 Central
rift valley, faults, and fissures
 Seamounts
 Pillow basalts
 Hydrothermal vents
 Deposits of metal sulfides
 Unusual life forms
 Fracture
zones and transform faults
Mid-ocean ridge features
 Oceanic
ridge
 Prominent rift valley
 Steep, rugged slopes
 Example: Mid-Atlantic Ridge
 Oceanic
rise
 Gentler, less rugged slopes
 Example: East Pacific Rise
Volcanic features of mid-ocean
ridge
 Pillow
lava or pillow basalts
 Hot lava chilled by cold seawater
 Smooth, rounded lobes of rock
Volcanic features of mid-ocean ridge

Hydrothermal vents
 Heated subsurface seawater migrates
through cracks in ocean crust
○ Warm-water vents <30oC or 86oF
○ White smokers >30oC <350oC or 662oF
○ Black smokers > 350oC

Unusual biological communities
 Able to survive without sunlight
 Chemosynthesize instead of photosynthesize
 Archaeon bacteria and bacteria oxidize hydrogen sulfide gas to provide food
Fracture zones and transform faults



Long linear zones of
weakness offset axes of
mid-ocean ridge
Transform faults:
movement in opposite
directions
○ Still seismically
active
Fracture zones:
extensions of transform
faults (aseismic)
○ Beyond offset
segments of oceanic
ridge
Ocean Literacy Standards
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1b - An ocean basin’s size, shape and features (islands, trenches, mid-ocean ridges, rift valleys)
vary due to the movement of Earth’s lithospheric plates. Earth’s highest peaks, deepest valleys
and flattest vast plains are all in the ocean.
5g - There are deep ocean ecosystems that are independent of energy from sunlight and
photosynthetic organisms. Hydrothermal vents, submarine hot springs, methane cold seeps, and
whale falls rely only on chemical energy and chemosynthetic organisms to support life.
Sunshine State Standards
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SC.7.E.6.1
Describe the layers of the solid Earth, including the lithosphere, the hot
convecting mantle, and the dense metallic liquid and solid cores.
SC.7.E.6.3
Identify current methods for measuring the age of Earth and its parts, including
the law of superposition and radioactive dating.
SC.7.E.6.4
Explain and give examples of how physical evidence supports scientific theories
that Earth has evolved over geologic time due to natural processes.
SC.7.E.6.5
Explore the scientific theory of plate tectonics by describing how the movement
of Earth's crustal plates causes both slow and rapid changes in Earth's surface, including volcanic
eruptions, earthquakes, and mountain building.
SC.7.E.6.7
Recognize that heat flow and movement of material within Earth causes
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and creates mountains and ocean basins.
SC.912.E.6.1
Describe and differentiate the layers of Earth and the interactions among them.
SC.912.E.6.3
Analyze the scientific theory of plate tectonics and identify related major
processes and features as a result of moving plates.
SC.912.E.6.5
Describe the geologic development of the present day oceans and identify
commonly found features.