Exam 15: Ocean Basins

A turbidity current can travel at speeds greater than 100 kilometers per hour and for distances up to 700 kilometers.

Remote sensing devices used to study the ocean floor are:

Shallow earthquakes and faults commonly occur at the Mid-Oceanic Ridge.

Most of the water that fills the Earth's oceans came from:

The average thickness of oceanic crust is about __________, whereas the average thickness of continental crust is about __________.

Island arcs grow from __________.

The Mid-Oceanic Ridge rises high above the surrounding sea floor because new lithosphere forming at the ridge axis is __________ and of relatively __________ density.

Continental crust and oceanic crust firmly join together at a/an:

Sand, silt, and clay that erodes from the continents and is carried to the deep sea floor is called __________.

Studying the sea floor requires direct physical contact with the ocean floor.

Most of layer 3 of the oceanic crust is composed of __________.

An active continental margin commonly has a much narrower continental shelf and a considerably steeper continental slope than does a passive margin because:

When two oceanic plates converge, the sinking plate drags the sea floor down to create:

The age of the oldest ocean floor is about __________ million years.

A magnetometer could be used to:

Pillow basalt comprises most of layer 2 of oceanic crust.

A/an __________ __________ is an open-mouthed steel net dragged along the sea floor behind a research ship.

The flattest surfaces on Earth are __________.

The part of oceanic crust made up of pelagic and terrigenous sediment is __________.

A/an __________ is a submarine mountain that rises 1 kilometer or more above the surrounding sea floor.