(GEO) Geological Oceanography Module Overview

Image reads Module Overview Oceanography

Geological Oceanography Module Overview

Introduction

This unit will focus on the geological characteristics of the world ocean, plate tectonics, and the mapping of the ocean floor. 

Essential Questions

Here are some essential questions to try and answer as you go through this module:

  • Describe the theory of plate tectonics. What evidence is there to support this theory?
  • How do the characteristics of the ocean basin contribute to the characteristics of the corresponding oceans?
  • How does is the theory of continental drift and seafloor spreading supported by the study of oceanography?

Key Terms

Here are some key terms to look out for in the module:

  • Pacific basin - Largest of the Earth's oceans, divided by the equator into the North and South Pacific Ocean
  • Atlantic basin - The second largest ocean basin with a surface area of 106.4 x 106km2 and an average depth of 3,926 meters (12,881 feet)
  • Indian basin - Covers about 20% of the Earth's water surface and has an average depth of 3,963 meters and surface area of 74 x 106 km2
  • Arctic basin - Shallowest of the four basins with an average depth of 1,205 meters (3,953 ft)
  • Pacific Ring of Fire - Area of earthquakes and volcanoes surrounding the Pacific plate
  • Great Barrier Reef - The largest coral reef system in the world located off the coast Australia
  • Mariana Trench - The deepest location in the Earth's crust located in the North Pacific Ocean
  • Atlantic Ocean - Second largest ocean found between the Americas and Europe and Africa
  • Mid-Atlantic Ridge - A divergent boundary located in the Atlantic ocean and serves as the largest mountain range in the world.
  • South Sandwich Trench - A deep trench caused by a subduction zone in the Atlantic ocean
  • Romanche Furrow - One of the major trenches of the Atlantic ocean caused by a transform boundary
  • Semi-diurnal - Occurring or coming approximately every 12 hours
  • Bermuda Triangle - Region of the Atlantic ocean between Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas that is thought to have paranormal history
  • Gulf Stream - Strong current that originates from the Gulf of Mexico and follows the US eastern coastlines in the Atlantic
  • Indian Ocean - Third largest ocean basin covering about 20% of the Earth
  • Red Sea - Salt water inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia
  • Persian Gulf - Extension of the Indian Ocean between Iran and Arabia
  • Java trench - The deepest point of the Indian Ocean
  • Continental shelf - The stretch of the seabed adjacent to the shores of a particular country to which it belongs
  • Continental slope - Connects the continental shelf to the abyssal plain
  • Abyssal plains - Flat and gently sloping areas found at the deepest parts of the ocean
  • Seamounts - An underwater mountain that does not reach above the ocean's surface
  • Guyots - Flat topped seamounts most commonly found in the Pacific Ocean
  • Island arcs -  curving series of volcanic islands typically caused by a subduction zone
  • Mid-ocean ridges - Areas where new ocean floor is formed.
  • Sea floor spreading - Formation of new ocean floor through volcanic activity
  • Subduction zone - Location at the Earth's crust where one plate moves under another at a convergent boundary
  • Inner core - Solid sphere within the center of the Earth made up of a nickel-iron alloy
  • Outer core - Liquid layer of the earth above the core made up of nickel and iron
  • Mantle - Solid layer between the crust and the outer core which makes up 84% of the Earth's volume
  • Crust - Thick plates of the Earth's crust that drift along the mantle
  • Continental plates - Thick plates of the Earth's crust that drift along the mantle
  • Continental drift - Theory that the Earth's plates drift along the surface of the mantle over a course of millions of years
  • Pangea - Supercontinent that existed during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras
  • Convergent boundary - Boundary that occurs when continental plates move toward one another
  • Divergent boundary - Boundary that occurs when continental plates move away from one another
  • Transform boundary - Boundary that is causes when two plates slide against each other in a sideways motion
  • Sediment - Particles of organic or inorganic matter that accumulate in a loose, unconsolidated form
  • Terrigenous - Sediment derived from land and transported to the ocean by wind or flowing water
  • Biogenous - Sediment of biological origin
  • Hydrogenous - Sediment formed from the precipitation of seawater
  • Cosmogenous - Sediment of extraterrestrial origin
  • Clay - The smallest sediment size, typically less than 0.004 mm
  • Ooze - Sediment of at least 30% biological origin
  • Evaporites - Deposit formed from the evaporation of sea water
  • Oolite Sands - Hydrogenous sediment formed from calcium carbonate precipitate
  • Microtektites - Small rounded glassy cosmogenous sediment formed from the impact of an asteroid or meteor

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