Submarine Landscape

This is a general term for landscapes on the Earth’s surface that are covered with seawater. The sea floor can be divided into three main topographic components: the continental margins, oceanic basins and mid-ocean ridges. These components can be further subdivided into secondary terrain units, such as shoals, coral reefs, abrasive platforms, seafloor canyons, ocean ridges (seamounts), guyots, sea basins and oceanic trenches. The continental margins are vast transition zones between the mainland and the ocean floor, accounting for approximately 22% of the total ocean area. The margins consist of the continental shelf, continental slope, continental rise and oceanic trenches-island arcs. The oceanic basins are located between the oceanic ridges and the continental margins, and they account for approximately 45% of the total ocean area. The oceanic basins are dissected by oceanic ridges of positive topography, forming several symmetrical oceanic depressions with depths of approximately...