🌊 THE OCEAN FLOOR: MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS
PAGE 1 OF 5, A HIDDEN LANDSCAPE
FLOOR
THE SEAFLOOR IS NOT A FLAT BLUE BLANKET
From a ship, the ocean looks smooth. Under the water the ground is wildly bumpy. The ocean floor has tall mountain ranges, deep valleys, underwater volcanoes, and huge flat stretches called abyssal plains. If you drained the seas, you would see a landscape as dramatic as any continent. Most of it stays hidden under kilometres of water.
⚡ DID YOU KNOW?
More than two-thirds of Earth's solid surface is ocean floor. Learning its shapes helps us understand how the whole planet works.
BUMPY!
SHAPES
⛰️ Underwater mountains rise in long chains while deep valleys cut between rocky walls.
🏜️ Between those highs and lows, soft mud can settle into wide, surprisingly flat plains.
🏜️ Between those highs and lows, soft mud can settle into wide, surprisingly flat plains.
FIRE
🌋 Many volcanoes grow on the ocean floor, sometimes building seamounts or new islands.
🔥 Hot lava cools fast in seawater and stacks into rocky underwater hills.
🔥 Hot lava cools fast in seawater and stacks into rocky underwater hills.