Undersea Topography - Vocabulary Introduction
1. ____________________
1. The shallow part of the seafloor next to land. They
are usually relatively smooth platforms that
stretch seaward until a sudden change appears in
the slope, known as the shelf break or continental
edge.
2. ____________________
2. Solitary, generally cone-shaped underwater
mountains that may rise thousands of feet from
the seafloor.
3. ____________________
3. The greatest mountain range in the world, this
distinct S-shaped ridge runs down the center of
the Atlantic seafloor and circles the earth like the
seam of a baseball. It can be traced for 40,000
miles through the Atlantic, Indian, Antarctic, and
Pacific Oceans.
4. ____________________
4. A flat-topped seamount
5. ____________________
5. Undersea valleys found amidst mountains in the MidOceanic Ridge system. The central rift valley can
be as much as 2,000 meters below the peaks of
the surrounding mountains.
6. ____________________
6. Cuts in the continental shelf or slope that appear to
be much like canyons on land. These features may
cross the continental rise and reach even the deep
ocean basins.
7. ____________________
7. The largest single feature of the earth's surface,
covering 46 percent of the planet. Smooth flat
plains covered with sediments at about 12,300
feet in depth under the oceans.
8. ____________________
8. The deepest points in the ocean are found in these
commonly V-shaped topographical features with a
narrow and sometimes flat floor.
9. ____________________
9. This major ocean terrain feature stretches downward
from the outer part of continental shelves to the
deep sea floor.
10. ____________________
10. Sand and gravel deposits that cover most of the
shore.
11. ____________________
11. Where land and water meet.
Undersea Topography - Vocabulary Introduction
ANSWER KEY
1. Continental Shelf
1. The shallow part of the seafloor next to land. They
are usually relatively smooth platforms that
stretch seaward until a sudden change appears in
the slope, known as the shelf break or continental
edge.
2. Seamounts
2. Solitary, generally cone-shaped underwater mountains
that may rise thousands of feet from the seafloor.
3. Mid-Oceanic Ridge
3. The greatest mountain range in the world, this distinct
S-shaped ridge runs down the center of the
Atlantic seafloor and circles the earth like the
seam of a baseball. It can be traced for 40,000
miles through the Atlantic, Indian, Antarctic, and
Pacific Oceans.
4. Guyot
4. A flat-topped seamount
5. Rift valley
5. Undersea valleys found amidst mountains in the MidOceanic Ridge system. The central rift valley can
be as much as 2,000 meters below the peaks of
the surrounding mountains.
6. Submarine canyon
6. Cuts in the continental shelf or slope that appear to be
much like canyons on land. These features may
cross the continental rise and reach even the deep
ocean basins.
7. Abyssal plains
7. The largest single feature of the earth's surface,
covering 46 percent of the planet. Smooth flat
plains covered with sediments at about 12,300
feet in depth under the oceans.
8. Deep-sea trenches
8. The deepest points in the ocean are found in these
commonly V-shaped topographical features with a
narrow and sometimes flat floor.
9. Continental Slope
9. This major ocean terrain feature stretches downward
from the outer part of continental shelves to the
deep sea floor.
10. Beaches
11. Shoreline
10. Sand and gravel deposits that cover most of the shore.
11. Where land and water meet.
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