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Topography of the Ocean Floor
Go to www.classzone.com. Select our book for North Carolina 8th grade science.
Our current unit is “Earth’s Waters” and we are in chapter 3.Once you are at the
Chapter 3 page, look on the right side of the page and find “Simulations”. In this
category click on the “Ocean floor” link. This link should bring up the page
“Exploring Earth: What does the ocean floor look like?” While you are doing this
activity use the next arrow at the bottom of the page to navigate.
New Views of the Sea Floor
1.Was mapping the ocean floor easy before technology was developed? Expalin.
2. List 3 types of technology that has been developed to explore the ocean.
Getting a General Sense of the Shape of the Ocean Floor
This map shows approximate depths of the Atlantic Ocean between North
America and Europe and Africa.
3. Examine the color code to interpret the shape of the ocean floor. Predict where
you would find each of these features: continental shelf, ocean ridge, trench,
islands, and abyssal plain.
4. What evidence did you look for to predict the location of each feature?
Draining the Atlantic Ocean
Imagine that there is a drain (like the one in a bathtub) on the ocean floor. If you
were to pull the plug and drain all the seawater, you would be able to see the
features of the ocean floor.
5. Describe at least three observations from the animation.
6. What does the Mid-Ocean Ridge look like? What direction does it run?
Draining the Pacific Ocean
Imagine that there is a drain (like the one in a bathtub) on the ocean floor. If you
were to pull the plug and drain all the seawater, you would be able to see the
features of the ocean floor.
7. Describe the sequence of how the water drains. Which features are exposed
first? …last? Why does the water drain in this way?
8. What areas are the very last to drain? How would these areas be shown on a
topographic map of the ocean floor?
Identifying Ocean Floor Features
Drag the colored dots to where you think each feature belongs in the Atlantic
Ocean. When you are finished marking the sea floor areas click the continue
button on the bottom left of the screen.
Once you click continue it show the correct placement of the sea floor features.
9. Draw a diagram of what you see and label each feature for the Atlantic
Ocean. Then try again with the Pacific Ocean.
Taking a "Tour" Across the Ocean Bottom
These maps show the shape of the seafloor of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
Examine where passive and active margins occur and what types of features are
associated with them.
10. Imagine that you could travel across the ocean floor from Casablanca,
Morocco, to Norfolk, Virginia, to Caracas, Venezuela. Narrate a "tour" of this
path, describing/defining (in detail) ALL of the ocean floor features you would
encounter.
*If you get done early go back to the main page for Chapter 3 and go to
simulations again and click on “Ocean Life and Environments”. Draw a
profile view of the continental shelf, continental slope and the ocean floor
and label these on your drawing. Next label the 4 areas of water over the
ocean floor that is shown to you. Click on each zone to discover what
animals live in these regions and draw 3 animals for each zone in the
correct area of your diagram.