abyssal plains definition
The final zone includes the deep oceanic trenches, and is known as the hadal zone. This, the deepest oceanic zone, extends from a depth of 6000 metres down to approximately 11000 metres. Abyssal plains are typically located in the abyssal zone, at depths ranging from 3000 to 6000 metres. Abyssal plains were not recognized as distinct physiographic features of the sea floor until the late 1940s and, until very recently, none had been studied on a systematic basis. They are poorly preserved in the sedimentary record, because they tend to be consumed by the subduction process. Abyssal plains were not recognized as distinct physiographic features of the sea floor until the late 1940s and, until very recently, none had been studied on a systematic basis. They are poorly preserved in the sedimentary record, because they tend to be consumed by the subduction process. They are found within the bounds of the ocean floor and in the transitional zone and are divided into two morphological types—flat, or subhorizontal, and hilly. Flat abyssal plains are confined to the margins of ocean basins or to the centers of the basins of epicontinental seas. Hilly abyssal plains occupy a large part of the bottom of the ocean floor. The surface of the flat abyssal plain is characterized by exceptional evenness, with floor gradients of less than 0.001. Starkly contrasting solitary seamounts, evidently of volcanic origin, are also found. Their evenness is caused by the fact that they are unique traps that catch loose sediment (foraminiferal and diatomaceous silts and marine glacial deposits in polar waters). The hilly abyssal plains show significant ruggedness. Abyssal plains result from the blanketing of an originally uneven surface of oceanic crust by fine-grained sediments, mainly clay and silt. Much of this sediment is deposited by turbidity currents that have been channelled from the continental margins along submarine canyons down into deeper water. Template:Aquatic layer topics. An abyssal plain is an underwater plain on the deep ocean floor, usually found at depths between 3000 and 6000 m. 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. Lesson Summary. Abyssal plains are large, flat areas, usually between the continental rise and the mid-ocean ridges or ocean trenches below the ocean surface. Abyssal plains are quite deep under the surface and are covered in sediments. Sediments accumulate very slowly and come from ocean currents and things that rain down from above, including dust, volcanic ash, minerals, organic matter from animals and plants, and even meteorites. And the word 'plain' usually means a flat, wide area. Put those two things together and you have an abyssal plain, which refers to the huge, flat areas on the ocean floor. Flat is almost an understatement. The abyssal plains are some of the flattest features on the planet. Some drop in elevation less than a foot for every 1,000 feet in distance. An abyssal plain is an underwater plain on the deep ocean floor, usually found at depths between 3000 and 6000 m. 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. They are among the flattest, smoothest and least explored regions on Earth.
An underwater plain on the deep ocean floor, usually found at depths between 3000 and 6000 m.