Ocean Features and Processes

This video tutorial introduces oceanography, focusing on the sea floor's features. It covers the continental shelf and slope, abyssal plain, seamounts, mid-ocean ridge, and sea floor spreading. The video also explains subduction zones and ocean trenches, detailing the geological processes involved in sea floor formation. The lesson concludes with a summary and homework assignment.

What is the first feature you might notice when traveling through the ocean in a submarine?

• Bright coral reefs

• Cold black water

• Colorful fish

• Warm ocean currents

What is the continental shelf?

• A deep trench in the ocean

• A gradually sloping end of a continent under the ocean

• A flat area on the ocean floor

• A steep drop-off in the ocean

Where does the continental slope begin?

• At the mid-ocean ridge

• At the Abyssal plain

• At the continental shelf

• At the ocean floor

What is a seamount?

• A flat area on the ocean floor

• An underwater inactive volcanic peak

• A deep ocean trench

• A steep slope in the ocean

What is formed at a mid-ocean ridge?

• Seamounts

• Continental shelves

• Deep ocean trenches

• New sea floor

What happens at a subduction zone?

• Seamounts become active

• Old sea floor slides under another plate

• Continental shelves are formed

• New sea floor is created

What forms in a subduction zone?

• A seamount

• A continental slope

• A mid-ocean ridge

• A trench

What is the first step in the process of sea floor spreading?

• New sea floor is formed

• Magma pours out inside the earth

• New floors form as Earth's crust moves

• Ocean floor changes as plates move

How does the Mariana Trench compare to Mount Everest?

• Mount Everest is deeper

• They are the same depth

• Mount Everest could fit inside the Mariana Trench

• The Mariana Trench is shallower

What is the process called when new sea floor is formed?

• Sea floor spreading

• Subduction

• Plate tectonics

• Continental drift