Oceanic Basin

Oceanic Basin Landforms Have 2 Main Characteristics:

1. Land that exists under an ocean

2. Includes all topograpical features

Example of an Oceanic Basin Landform:

The oceanic basin picture above is only a small part of the Atlantic Ocean Basin

What is an Oceanic Basin Landform?

An oceanic basin is the land surface under an ocean that includes the various topography below the water.
This includes the continental shelf, abyssal plain, mid-ocean ridge and other formations that may exist on the
seafloor. Another definition of an oceanic basin refers specifically to the abyssal plain that lies between higher
formations such as a continental shelf and mid-ocean ridge.

How are Oceanic Basins Formed?

An ocean basin is formed when water has covered a large portion of the Earth’s crust. In the distant past, this may
have happened when there was an increase in available water, or a fall of landmass. Over a long period of time, an
oceanic basin can be created by the spreading of the seafloor and the movement of tectonic plates. The Atlantic
Ocean Basin as it exists today was created over millions of years, as the continents of Europe, Africa and America
separated, riding on tectonic plates.

How Large is an Oceanic Basin?

An oceanic basin is equal in size to the ocean above. The Pacific Ocean Basin is large enough to hold the land
mass of all seven continents.

Where Can an Oceanic Basin Be Found?

An oceanic basin can be found below an ocean.

Famous Oceanic Basins and Facts

• Atlantic Ocean Basin
• Indian Ocean Basin
• Arctic Ocean Basin
• Pacific Ocean Basin
The Atlantic Ocean Basin covers approximately 29 million square miles of the Earth’s surface, extending from the
Arctic Ocean in the north, to the Southern Ocean above Antarctica. The average depth of the basin is 12,881 feet
and the deepest point is the Puerto Rico Trench at 28,231 feet below the water.
The Indian Ocean Basin has 26 million square miles of underwater land surface, bordered by Africa in the west,
Australia in the east, India to the north and the Southern Ocean. The basin has an average depth of 13,800 feet,
and the deepest point is 23,812 feet below water in the Java Trench.
The Southern Ocean was officially designated by the International Hydrographic Organization in the year 2000, but
does not have a true ocean basin. It surrounds the continent of Antarctica and extends northward to 60 degrees of
latitude, where it meets the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
The Arctic Ocean Basin has over 5 million square miles, Approximately one third of this is the continental shelves
of North America and Asia. It has an average depth of 4,900 feet and the deepest point is at 17,880 feet below
water. The Pacific Ocean Basin is the largest oceanic basin in the world with an area of 59 million square miles.
It is also the deepest, with an average depth of 14,042 feet. The deepest point found below sea level is the
Marianas Trench in the western Pacific, near the Marianas Islands to the west. In a depression called the
Challenger Deep within the trench, a depth of approximately 36,070 feet has been measured, a distance of almost 7
miles below the surface.
Oceanic Basin Definition:
The land surface under an ocean, including all of its topographical features

Why are there ocean basins on Earth?

Over millions of years, ocean basins open and close, continents move and change shape, and
mountains are pushed up and eroded away. Such dynamic processes continually reshape the
surface of the Earth. The movement of rigid plates on the Earth's surface, known as plate tectonics, is
the cause of these changes.
How many major ocean basins are there?

The four main ocean basins are those of the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic Oceans. The Pacific Ocean,
which occupies about one-third of Earth's surface, has the largest basin. Its basin also has the greatest
average depth at approximately 14,000 feet (4,300 meters).

How is a basin formed?

Tectonic activity is the movement of large pieces of the Earth's crust, called tectonic plates. Tectonic
activity is responsible for such phenomena as earthquakes and volcanoes. The natural processes of
weathering and erosion also contribute to forming structural basins. Structural basins form as
tectonic plates shift.
How old are Earth's ocean basins?
It is for this reason that the oldest segment of ocean floor, found in the far western Pacific, is
apparently only about 200 million years old, even though the age of Earth is estimated to be at least
4.6 billion years.
Why are the continents so much older than the ocean basins?
This process is controlled by density, with the denser plate subducting under the less dense plate.
Continental crust is less dense than oceanic crust, and so oceanic crust always subducts, which is
why the oldest ocean basin is much younger than the oldest continent. Subduction also occurs
when oceanic plates collide.
Why are the ocean basins full of water?
Active ocean basins undergo changes mainly due to plate tectonics. ... When plates spread apart,
they create gaps where magma from the earth's mantle can rise up and cool to form structures, such
as oceanic ridges, which are continuous mountain chains located under the surface of the sea.
Which ocean basin is the deepest on average?

Ocean Deepest Point Depth (feet)

Pacific Mariana Trench 36,200
Atlantic Puerto Rico Trench 28,374
Indian Java Trench 25,344
Arctic Eurasia basin 17,881

What is the name of the smallest ocean in the world?

With an area of about 5.4 million square miles , the Arctic Ocean is about 1.5 times as big as the
United States. It is bordered by Greenland, Canada, Norway, Alaska, and Russia. The average depth
of the Arctic Ocean is 12,000 feet and it is 17,850 feet at its deepest point
What is the Pacific Ocean basin?
The Atlantic ocean and the Arctic ocean are good examples of active, growing oceanic basins,
whereas the Mediterranean Sea is shrinking. The Pacific Ocean is also an active, shrinking oceanic
basin, even though it has both spreading ridge and oceanic trenches.

When were the oceans formed?

The ocean formed billions of years ago. Over vast periods of time, our primitive oceans formed.
Water remained a gas until the Earth cooled below 212 degrees Fahrenheit . At this time, about 3.8
billion years ago, the water condensed into rain which filled the basins that are now our oceans.
Which is older the oceanic or continental crust?
It gets so dense, that it sinks in the upper mantle (subduction). This is like a giant recycling system for
oceanic lithosphere! Because continental crust is lighter than oceanic crust, continental crust
cannot subduct. We therefore still have some very old continental rocks at the surface of the Earth.
How does the seafloor spread?
Seafloor spreading is a process that occurs at mid-ocean ridges, where new oceanic crust is formed
through volcanic activity and then gradually moves away from the ridge. Seafloor spreading helps
explain continental drift in the theory of plate tectonics.
What happens when the seafloor spreads?
Sea-floor spreading is what happens at the mid-oceanic ridge where a divergent boundary is
causing two plates to move away from one another resulting in spreading of the sea floor. As the
plates move apart, new material wells up and cools onto the edge of the plates.
How was the seafloor spreading tested as a hypothesis?
Sea-floor spreading — In the early 1960s, Princeton geologist Harry Hess proposed the hypothesis
of sea-floor spreading, in which basaltic magma from the mantle rises to create new ocean floor at
mid-ocean ridges.
What is the process in Earth's interior causes subduction and seafloor spreading?
Subduction happens where tectonic plates crash into each other instead of spreading apart. At
subduction zones, the edge of the denser plate subducts, or slides, beneath the less-dense one.
The denser lithospheric material then melts back into the Earth's mantle. Seafloor spreading
creates new crust.Jun 8, 2015

What is the definition of abyssal plain?

An abyssal plain is an underwater plain on the deep ocean floor, usually found at depths between
3,000 metres (9,800 ft) and 6,000 metres (20,000 ft). Lying generally between the foot of a
continental rise and a mid-ocean ridge, abyssal plains cover more than 50% of the Earth's surface.
What does an abyssal plain look like?
There's more to abyssal plains than just being flat. They are covered in sediment, which is part of
the reason they are so featureless. The sediments are brought by ocean currents and by an
assortment of debris that rains from above. ... The sediments stack up only one inch every thousand
years.
What is the largest ocean basin?
Covering approximately 59 million square miles and containing more than half of the free water on
Earth, the Pacific is by far the largest of the world's ocean basins. All of the world's continents could
fit into the Pacific basin.
What is the definition of basin?
basin. (bā'sĭn) A region drained by a river and its tributaries. A low-lying area on the Earth's surface
in which thick layers of sediment have accumulated. Some basins are bowl-shaped while others are
elongate.
What is the difference between continental crust and oceanic crust?
Layers that are less dense, such as the crust, float on layers that are denser, such as the mantle.
Both oceanic crust and continental crust are less dense than the mantle, but oceanic crust is
denser than continental crust. This is partly why the continents are at a higher elevation than the
ocean floor.