Oceanography Chapter 3

Front 1

Abyssal Hill/Seaknoll

Back 1

Volcanic features on the ocean floor that are less than 1000 meters (0.6 mile) tall (the minimum height of a seamount)

Front 2

Abyssal Hill Province

Back 2

Extensive regions dominated by abyssal hills

Front 3

Abyssal Plain

Back 3

Flat depositional plains extending from the base of the continental rise into the deep-ocean basins with slopes less than a fraction of a degree that cover extensive portions of the deep-ocean basins

Front 4

Active Margin

Back 4

Associated with lithospheric plate boundaries and are marked by a high degree of tectonic activity

Front 5

Bathymetry

Back 5

The measurement of ocean depths and the charting of the shape of the ocean floor

Front 6

Black Smokers

Back 6

Have water temperatures above 350 degrees C (662 degrees F) and emit water that is black because of the presence of dark-colored metal sulfides, including nickel, copper, and zinc

Front 7

Continental Borderland

Back 7

A highly irregular portion of the continental margin that is submerged beneath the ocean and is characterized by depths greater than those characteristic of the continental shelf

Front 8

Continental Margin

Back 8

Shallow-water areas close to continents

Front 9

Continental Rise

Back 9

A transition zone between the continental margin and the deep-ocean floor comprised of a huge submerged pile of debris

Front 10

Continental Shelf

Back 10

A generally flat zone extending from the shore beneath the ocean surface to a point at which a marked increase in slope angle occurs

Front 11

Continental Slope

Back 11

Lies beyond the shelf break, where the deep-ocean basins begin

Front 12

Convergent Active Margins

Back 12

Associated with oceanic-continental convergent plate boundaries

Front 13

Deep-Ocean Basins

Back 13

Deep-water areas farther from land

Front 14

Deep-Sea Fans/Submarine Fans

Back 14

Create the continental rise when they merge together along the base of the continental slope

Front 15

Echo Sounder

Back 15

A device that transmits sound from a ship’s hull to the ocean floor where it is reflected back to receivers

Front 16

Fathom

Back 16

Standard unit of ocean depth which is equal to 1.8 meters (6 feet)

Front 17

Fracture Zones

Back 17

Seismically inactive area that shows evidence of past transform fault activity

Front 18

Graded Bedding

Back 18

Stratification in which each layer displays a decrease in grain size from bottom to top

Front 19

Hydrothermal Vents

Back 19

Sea floor hot springs created when cold seawater seeps down along cracks and fractures in the ocean crust and approaches an underground magma chamber

Front 20

Hypsographic Curve

Back 20

Shows the relationship between the height of the land and the depth of the oceans

Front 21

Passive Margin

Back 21

Embedded within the interior of lithospheric plates and are therefore not in close proximity to any plate boundary

Front 22

Pillow Lavas/Pillow Basalts

Back 22

Smooth, rounded lobes of rock that resemble a stack of bed pillows

Front 23

Precision Depth Recorder (PDR)

Back 23

Developed in the 1950s and uses a focused high-frequency sound beam to measure depths to a resolution of about 1 meter (3.3 feet)

Front 24

Shelf Break

Back 24

The depth at which the gentle slope of the continental shelf steepens appreciably, marks the boundary between the continental shelf and continental rise

Front 25

Submarine Canyon

Back 25

Narrow but deep submarine valleys that are V-shaped in profile view and have branches or tributaries with steep to overhanging walls

Front 26

Suspension Settling

Back 26

The process by which fine-grained material that is being suspended in the water column slowly accumulates on the sea floor

Front 27

Transform Active Margin

Back 27

Associated with transform plate boundaries

Front 28

Turbidite Deposit

Back 28

A sediment or rock formed from sediment deposited by turbidity currents characterized by both horizontally and vertically graded bedding

Front 29

Turbidity Current

Back 29

Underwater avalanches of muddy water mixed with rocks and other debris

Front 30

Warm-Water Vents

Back 30

Have water temperatures below 30 degrees C (86 degrees F) and generally emit water clear in color

Front 31

White Smokers

Back 31

Have water temperatures from 30 degrees C to 350 degrees C (86 degrees F to 662 degrees F) and emit water that is white because of the presence of various light-colored compounds, including barium sulfide