Pacific Ocean: the relief of the bottom. Features of the relief of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean

The relief of the bottom of the World Ocean is of interest to many researchers, given that this aspect has not yet been fully studied. In any case, there are secrets and inexplicable from the point of view of science phenomena that hide the Pacific Ocean. The relief of the bottom of this part of the world's ocean is of great interest to scientists all over the world, so studies of a similar theme are arranged with an enviable frequency. Exactly scientific expeditions studying the bottom of the Pacific received results that at one time completely changed the human not only about the very day, but also about the geological structure of the Earth in general.

Ocean platforms

Features of the relief of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean are surprising to many researchers. But if you talk in order, then it's worth starting with the concept of "ocean platforms". They represent certain areas of the cortex, which have long since lost their mobility, as well as their ability to deform. Scientists also distinguish those parts of the ocean floor that are still quite active, at the present time, geosyncline. Such active areas of the cortex are widespread in the Pacific Ocean, namely in its western part.

"The Ring of Fire"

What is the so-called "fire ring"? In fact, the Pacific Ocean is in its very center, and this is what makes it very different from its counterparts. For your information, about 600 volcanoes have been recorded on land at the moment, while 418 of them are on the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

There are volcanoes that do not stop their turbulent activities even in our time. This applies primarily to the famous Fuji, as well as Klyuchevskaya hill. There are volcanoes that for quite a long period retain visible calmness, but at one point they can dramatically turn into fire-breathing monsters. For example, it's about a volcano like Bandai-san in Japan. As a result of his awakening, several villages suffered.

Scientists have even registered a volcano on the floor of the Pacific Ocean.

The awakened volcanoes of the "fire ring"

In addition to the famous and well-known worldwide awakened volcano Bandai-san, many more such cases have been recorded. For example, the Nameless Beer Volcano, located in one of the regions of Kamchatka, declared itself to the whole world in the 1950s. When he woke up from centuries of sleep, seismologists could register about 150-200 earthquakes a day.

His eruption plunged many researchers into shock, some of them could later confidently state that this was one of the most violent volcanic paroxysms of the last century. The only thing that pleases is the absence of populated areas and people in the eruption area.

And here is another "monster" - the volcano Ruiz in Colombia. His awakening killed over 20 thousand people.

Hawaiian Islands

In fact, what we see is just the tip of the iceberg that hides the Pacific Ocean. The peculiarities of its relief consist mainly in the fact that a fairly long chain of volcanoes stretches along the center. And it is the Hawaiian Islands that are the top of the underwater Hawaiian ridge, which is considered a large volcanic cluster with a length of more than 2000 kilometers.

The Hawaiian ridge stretches right up to the atolls of Midway, as well as Kure, which are in the north-west.

Sami Hawaii consists of five active closed volcanoes, the height of some of them may exceed four kilometers. This applies primarily to the volcanoes Mauna Kea, as well as Mauna Loa. The most interesting thing is that if you measure the height of the Maun Loa volcano from the very bottom, which is at the bottom of the ocean, it turns out that its height is more than ten kilometers.

Depression of the Pacific Ocean

The most entertaining ocean, and also hiding many secrets, is the Pacific Ocean. The relief of the bottom surprises with its diversity and is the ground for reflection to many learned minds.

To a greater extent, this applies to the Pacific Ocean basin, which has a depth of up to 4,300 meters, while such formations are the most notable element for scientific research. The most famous around the world are Challenger, Galatea, Emden, Cape Johnson, Planet, Snellius, Tuscarora, Ramalo. For example, Challenger has a depth of 11 thousand 33 meters, followed by Galatea with its depth of 10 thousand 539 meters. Depth of Emden is 10 thousand 399 meters, while Cape Johnson has a depth of 10 thousand 497 meters. The most "shallow" is the depression of Tuscarora with its maximum along the entire length of 8 thousand 513 meters.

The Underwater Mountains

If you ever get asked: "Describe the relief of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean", then you can immediately start talking about the seamounts, because this is something that will immediately interest your interlocutor. At the bottom of this wonderful ocean there are many underwater mountains, called "guyots". They are characterized by their flat tops, and at the same time can be at a depth of about 1.5 kilometers, or maybe even much deeper.

The main theory of scientists is that previously the seamounts were active volcanoes that rose above sea level. Later they were washed out and were under water. By the way, the latter fact alarms researchers, because it can also testify to the fact that earlier this part of the cortex experienced a peculiar "deflection".

Lodge of the Pacific

Earlier in this direction, a lot of research was carried out, a lot of scientific expeditions were sent in order to better consider the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The photos show that the predominantly bed of this amazing ocean is made up of red clay. To a lesser extent, blue silt or crushed coral fragments can be found on the bottom.

It is noteworthy that large areas of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean are often covered with diatom, globigerin, radiolarian, and pteropod sludge. Another interesting fact is that in various bottom sediments you can often meet the teeth of sharks or manganese concretions.

General information on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean

The formation of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean is affected by factors such as exogenous, as well as endogenous. The latter are internal and tectonic - they manifest themselves in the form of various underwater earthquakes, slow movement of the earth's crust, as well as volcanic eruptions. This is what the Pacific is interested in. The relief of the bottom is constantly changing due to the presence of a huge number of volcanoes both on its coast and deep under water. Exogenous factors include various currents, sea turbulence, and turbidity currents. Such flows are characterized by the fact that they are saturated with solid particles that do not dissolve in the water, which at the same time move with great speed and along the slope. It also significantly changes the bottom relief and life activity of marine organisms.

Many scientists were very interested in the Pacific Ocean. The bottom relief was conditionally divided into several forms. Namely: the underwater margin of the continents, the transition zone, the ocean floor, and also the mid-ocean ridges. Of the 73 million square meters. Km 10% of the underwater margin belongs precisely to the Pacific Ocean.

The continental slope is part of the bottom, which has a slope of 3 or 6 degrees, and it is located at the outer edge of the shelf of the underwater margin. It is remarkable that near the volcanic or coral islands, on which the Pacific Ocean is rich, the slope can reach 40 or 50 degrees.

The transition zone is characterized by the presence of secondary forms, which will be located in a strict order. Namely - first the basin of the marginal sea adjoins the mainland foot, and from the ocean it will be limited by steep slopes of mountain ranges. This is quite typical for the Japan, East China, Mariana, Aleutian transition zones, which are located in the western part of the Pacific Ocean.