Chapter 2 – The Sea Floor

The World’s Oceans

Southern Ocean

Crust

Continental Drift

Alfred Wegener (1880-1930)

Continental Drift

Matching Geologic Formations

Matching Geologic Formations

Continental Drift

Plate Tectonics

and

Continental Drift

Mid-Ocean Ridges Worldwide

Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Iceland

Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Iceland

Lithospheric Plates

Plates in contact

Volcanic and earthquake activity

When Continents Collide

The Himalayan Mountains formed as the Indian plate collided with the Asian plate

India

China

San Andreas Fault

Alfred Wegener (1880-1930)

Continental Drift -- History

Continental Drift -- History

Continental Drift -- History

Continental Drift -- History

Continental Drift -- History

Illustration from Wegener’s 1912 book proposing Continental Drift

Ocean Sediments

Sediment core samples from ocean floor

Mineral (non-living sources) sediments

Ocean Sediments

Amazon River Mouth

Calcareous ooze

Ocean Sediments

Biogenous (from living sources) sediments (ooze)

Foraminiferans

Calcareous ooze components

Coccolithophorids

Calcareous ooze components

Radiolarian tests

Silaceous ooze components

Diatom tests

Silaceous ooze components

Microfossils – data on oceanic temperatures

Fossil Foraminiferans

Ocean Sediments

Geologic Provinces of the Ocean

Continental Shelf

Submarine Canyon off Monterrey

Geologic Provinces of the Ocean

Shelf Break off New Jersey

Geologic Provinces of the Ocean

Oregon Coast (from the west – looking east)

Continental Slope

Geologic Provinces of the Ocean

Geologic Provinces of the Ocean

Geologic Provinces of the Ocean

Abyssal Plain off New Jersey (4000-6000 m)

Deep Ocean Basins

Hot Spots and Island Formation

Mid-ocean ridge

Mid-ocean ridge

Black Smoker off Galapagos Islands

Anatomy of a Black Smoker