Oceanology

Reliefs of the Ocean Basins

By SudarshanGurjar
Check out Previous Years Mains Questions
Trends- Hydrosphere

1.Why is India taking keen interest in the Arctic Region?

2.What are the consequences of Spreading of Dead Zones on Marine Ecosystem?

3.Account for variations in Oceanic Salinity and Discuss its multidimensional effects?

4.What are the economic significances of Discovery of Oil in Arctic Sea and its possible
environmental consequences?

5.Critically Evaluate the various resources of the ocean , which can be harnessed to meet the
resource crisis of the world?
s
6.How does India see its place in the economic space of rising natural resource rich Africa?

7.How do ocean currents and water masses differ in their impacts on marine life and costal
environment? Give suitable examples?

by Sudarshan Gurjar
Check out Previous Years
Prelims Questions Trends-
Hydrosphere
Given below are two statements, one labelled as Assertion (A) and the other labelled as Reason (R) :
[1996]

Assertion (A) : Mangroves are very specialised forest eco-systems of tropical and sub-tropical regions
bordering certain sea coasts.
Reason (R) : They stabilise the shoreline and act as bulwark against encroachments by the sea.
In the context of the above two statements, which one of the following is correct?
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not a correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
Daily weather map showing isobars is an example of:

(a) Choropleth map [1997]

(b) Isopleth map
(c) Chorochromatic map
(d) Choroschematic map
Match the rivers labelled A, B, C and D on the given map with their names given in the list and select
the correct answer using the codes given below the lists: [1998]

Codes:
(a) A-4; B-3; C-2; D-1 (b) A-5; B-3; C-1; D-2
(c) A-5; B-4; C-1; D-3 (d) A-3; B-1; C-4; D-2
The correct sequence of different layers of the atmosphere from the surface of the Earth upwards
is: [1998]

(a) Troposphere, Stratosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere

(b) Stratosphere, Troposphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere
(c) Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Ionosphere
(d) Stratosphere, Troposphere, Mesosphere, Ionosphere
In which one of the following oceans Diamantine Trench is situated? [2006]

(a) Pacific Ocean (b) Atlantic Ocean

(c) Indian Ocean (d) Arctic Ocean
Consider the following statements: [2007]

1. Annual range of temperature is greater in the Pacific Ocean than that in the Atlantic Ocean.
2. Annual range of temperature is greater in the Northern Hemisphere than that in the Southern
Hemisphere.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
The most important fishing grounds of the world are found in the regions where [2013 - I]

(a) warm and cold atmospheric currents meet

(b) rivers drain out large amounts of freshwater into the sea
(c) warm and cold oceanic currents meet
(d) continental shelf is undulating
The annual range of temperature in the interior of the continents is high as compared to coastal
areas. What is/are the reason/reasons? [2013 - I]

1. Thermal difference between land and water

2. Variation in altitude between continents and oceans
3. Presence of strong winds in the interior
4. Heavy rains in the interior as compared to coasts

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
By SudarshanGurjar
 Ocean Relief
 Ocean relief is largely due totectonic, volcanic, erosional and depositional
processes and their interactions.
 Ocean relief features are divided into major and minor relief features.

 Major Ocean Relief Features

 Four major divisions in the ocean relief are:
 The continental shelf,
 The continental slope,
 The continental rise,
 The Deep Sea Plain or the abyssal plain.

By SudarshanGurjar
 Continental Shelf
 Continental Shelf is the gently sloping seaward extension of
continentalplate.
 These extended margins of each continent are occupied by relatively shallow
seas and gulfs.
 Continental Shelf of all oceans together cover 7.5% of the total area of the
oceans.
 Gradient of continental is of 1° or even less.
 The shelf typically ends at a very steep slope, called the shelf break.

By SudarshanGurjar
 Continental Shelf
 The continental shelves are covered with variable thicknesses of sediments
brought down by rivers, glaciers etc..
 Massive sedimentary deposits received over a long time by the continental
shelves, become the source of fossil fuels [Petroleum].
 Examples: Continental Shelf of South-East Asia, Great Banks around
Newfoundland, Submerged region between Australia and New Guinea.

By SudarshanGurjar
 The shelf is formed mainly due to
 submergence of a part of a continent
 Relative rise in sea level
 sedimentary deposits brought down by rivers

By SudarshanGurjar
 Width
 The average width of continental shelves is between 70 – 80 km.
 The shelves are almost absent or very narrow along some of
the margins like the coasts of Chile, etc. [Ocean – Continent
Convergence].
 It is up to 120 km wide along the eastern coast of USA. On the contrary, the
Siberian shelf in the Arctic Ocean, the largest in theworld, stretches to
1,500 km in width.

By SudarshanGurjar
 Depth
 The depth of the shelves also varies. It may be as shallow as 30 m in
some areas while in some areas it is as deep as 600 m.
 Importance of continent shelves
 Marine food comes almost entirely from continental shelves;

By SudarshanGurjar
 They provide the richest fishing grounds;
 They are potential sites for economic minerals [20% of the world
production of petroleum and gas comes from shelves. Polymetallicnodules
(manganese nodules)
 Concentric layers of iron and manganese hydroxides) etc. are good
sources of various mineral ores like manganese, iron copper, gold etc..]

By SudarshanGurjar
 Continental Slope
 The continental slope connects the continental shelf and the ocean basins.
 It begins where the bottom of the continental shelf sharply drops off into a steep
slope.
 The gradient of the slope region varies between 2-5°.
 The depth of the slope region varies between 200 and 3,000 m.
 The seaward edge of the continental slope loses gradient at this depth and
gives rise to continental rise.
 The continental slope boundary indicates the end of the continents.
 Canyons and trenches are observed in this region.

By SudarshanGurjar
By SudarshanGurjar
 Continental Rise
 The continental slope gradually loses its steepness withdepth.
 When the slope reaches a level of between 0.5° and 1°, it is referred
to as the continental rise.
 With increasing depth the rise becomes virtually flat and merges with
the abyssal plain.

By SudarshanGurjar
 Deep Sea Plain or Abyssal Plain
 Deep sea planes are gently sloping areas of the ocean basins.
 These are the flattest and smoothest regions of the world because of
terrigenous [denoting marine sediment eroded from the land and shallow
water sediments that buries the irregular topography.]
 It covers nearly 40% of the oceanfloor.
 The depths vary between 3,000 and 6,000 m.
 These plains are covered with fine-grained sediments like clay and silt.

By SudarshanGurjar
 Oceanic Deeps or Trenches
 The trenches are relatively steep sided, narrow basins
(Depressions).
 These areas are the deepest parts of the oceans.
 They are of tectonic origin and are formed during ocean – ocean
convergence and ocean continent convergence.
 They are some 3-5 km deeper than the surrounding ocean floor.
 The trenches lie along the fringes of the deep-sea plain at the bases of
continental slopes and along island arcs.
 The trenches run parallel to the bordering fold mountains or the island
chains.

By SudarshanGurjar
 The trenches are very common in the Pacific Ocean and form an almost
continuous ring along the western and eastern margins of the Pacific.
 The Mariana Trench off the Guam Islands in the Pacific Ocean is
the deepest trench with, a depth of more than 11 kilometres.
 They are associated with active volcanoes and strong earthquakes (Deep
Focus Earthquakes like in Japan).
 This makes them very significant in the study of plate movements.
 As many as 57 deeps have been explored so far; of which 32
are in the Pacific Ocean; 19 in the Atlantic Ocean and 6 in
the Indian Ocean.

By SudarshanGurjar
By SudarshanGurjar
 Mid-Oceanic Ridges or Submarine Ridges
 A mid-oceanic ridge is composed of two chains of mountains separated by a
large depression. [Divergent Boundary]
 The mountain ranges can have peaks as high as 2,500 m and some even reach
above the ocean’s surface.
 Running for a total length of 75,000 km, these ridges form the largest
mountain systems on earth.
 These ridges are either broad, like a plateau, gently sloping or in the form of
steep-sided narrow mountains.
 These oceanic ridge systems are of tectonic origin and provide evidence in
support of the theory of Plate Tectonics.
 Iceland, a part of the mid-Atlantic Ridge, is an example.

By SudarshanGurjar
By SudarshanGurjar
 Seamount: It is a mountain with pointed summits, rising from the
seafloor that does not reach the surface of theocean.
 Seamounts are volcanic in origin.
 These can be 3,000-4,500 m tall.
 The Emperor seamount, an extension of the Hawaiian Islands [Hotspot] in
the Pacific Ocean, is a good example.
 Guyots: The flat topped mountains (seamounts) are known as guyots.
 Seamounts and guyots are very common in the Pacific Ocean where they
are estimated to number around 10,000

By SudarshanGurjar
By SudarshanGurjar
 Bank
 These marine features are formed as’ a result of erosional and depositional
activity.
 A bank is a flat topped elevation located in the continental margins.
 The depth of water here is shallow but enough for navigationalpurposes.
 The Dogger Bank in the North Sea and Grand Bank in the north-western
Atlantic, Newfoundland are famous examples.
 The banks are sites of some of the most productive fisheries of the world.

By SudarshanGurjar
 Shoal
 A shoal is a detached elevation with shallow depths. Since they project out of
water with moderate heights, they are dangerous for navigation.

By SudarshanGurjar
By SudarshanGurjar
 Submarine Canyons
• CANYON: a deep gorge, especially one with a river flowing through it .
• These are deep valleys, some comparable to the Grand Canyon of the Colorado river.
• They are sometimes found cutting across the continental shelves and slopes, often
extending from the mouths of large rivers.

By SudarshanGurjar
By SudarshanGurjar
By SudarshanGurjar