Over the Edge: Hydrothermal Vents
Hydrothermal vents were discovered in 1977. They are sometimes characterized as deep ocean hot springs found thousands of feet beneath the surface. Hydrothermal vents are of great interest because of their circulation processes, as well as for the u...
Over the Edge: Continental Margins
The continental margin is the submerged outer edge of a continent. Comprised of granitic crust, the continental margin includes the continental shelf and continental slope.
Over the Edge: Deep Ocean Floor, The
Although it comprises more than half of Earth's surface area, the deep ocean floor was a region of near total mystery until fairly recently. Even now, efforts to map ocean basins are in their infancy.
Over the Edge: Undersea Volcanic and Tectonic Activity
For large stretches the deep ocean basin is flat. But seamounts, guyots, island arcs and trenches, all of which result at least in part from tectonic activity, break up the sameness.
Over the Edge: Submarine Canyons
A submarine canyon is a steep, V-shaped valley that cuts across the edge of the continental shelf and slope. It acts as a funnel, carrying sediment down to the abyssal plain.