Welcome to MooMooMath and Science and the Ocean Floor The ocean floor is made up of various landscapes including mountains, valleys, and plains. These underwater surfaces of the ocean floor are located from the shallow part of the ocean to its deepest part. The continental shelf is the underwater edge of the continent. It extends from the shore to a depth of about 600 feet and has a gentle slope.
About 50 miles from the shore is a steep slope called the continental slope. The continental slope leads from the continental shelf towards the seafloor and is also deeper than the shelf. About 12 or 13 miles away from the shore into the ocean is the continental rise.
The continental rise is a buildup of sediment and sand on the ocean floor at the bottom of the continental slope. It is usually sand and mud that stretches from the slope down to the deep seafloor. One of the flattest places on earth is at the end of the continental rise. The abyssal plain is a large area of flat land that covers almost half the ocean. These were formed when most of the hills and valleys at the bottom of the ocean were buried under a layer of sand and mud a long time ago.
There may also be huge underwater mountains called seamounts. The peak rises hundreds of miles from the ocean floor. Seamounts are also volcanoes that were formed in the same way as a volcano on land. Hot molten rock rose from inside the earth's surface and cooled into a solid.
Sometimes a seamount may appear as an island. The Hawaiian Islands are an example of a chain of islands formed by seamounts. There are also trenches located at the ocean floor. An ocean trench is a v-shaped valley that is long and narrow and they are the deepest parts on earth. They may extend 5 or 6 miles below sea level.
Mount Everest would fit inside the largest trench and would still be over a mile below the surface of the earth. The largest deep sea trench is about 7 miles deep. Trenches are so deep sunlight will never reach these areas. In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean is a huge mountain range rising above the ocean floor. This is known as the Mid-Ocean Ridge.
The Mid-Ocean Ridge is part of a chain of mountains called the Mid-Ocean Ridges. These ridges wind their way through all the world's major oceans. The mid-ocean ridge extends the entire length of the Atlantic Ocean. The mountain ranges were also formed by volcanoes and molten rock that cooled and hardened.
Finally, the ocean floor is home to hot springs called seafloor vents. These vents are formed when seawater trickles down from newly formed ocean crust. Eventually, the water becomes saturated with minerals and it boils out of a vent into the crust. So, in summary, the ocean floor is a vast area made up of various landforms called the continental shelf, the continental slope, and rise.
There are also the abyssal plain which is the flattest place on earth. Other landforms include sea mounts, ocean ridges, and ocean trenches. Thanks for watching and remember kindness multiplies kindness. Be kind to someone today.