Water (Oceans)

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Earth is called the 'Blue Planet' because it has an abundant supply of water on its surface. About 71% of the planetary water is found in the oceans, making water a unique feature of Earth compared to…

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The hydrological cycle is the circulation of water within Earth's hydrosphere in different forms (liquid, solid, gaseous). It describes the continuous movement of water on, in, and above the earth, in…

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The five major oceans are: 1) Pacific Ocean, 2) Atlantic Ocean, 3) Indian Ocean, 4) Southern Ocean, and 5) Arctic Ocean. Various seas, bays, gulfs and other inlets are parts of these large oceans.

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The four major divisions of ocean floors are: 1) Continental Shelf - extended margin of continents with shallow seas, 2) Continental Slope - steep slope connecting shelf to ocean basins, 3) Deep Sea P…

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Continental Shelf is the shallowest part of the ocean with average gradient of 1° or less. Average width is 80 km but varies greatly (absent along Chile coast, up to 1,500 km in Siberian Arctic). Dept…

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Continental Slope connects the continental shelf to ocean basins. It has a gradient of 2-5° and depth varies between 200-3,000m. It marks the end of continents. Important features found here include c…

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Oceanic trenches are relatively steep-sided, narrow basins that are 3-5 km deeper than surrounding ocean floor. They occur at bases of continental slopes and along island arcs. They are associated wit…

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A mid-oceanic ridge is composed of two chains of mountains separated by a large depression. Mountain ranges can have peaks as high as 2,500m and some reach above ocean surface. Example: Iceland is par…