abyssal plain

abyssal plain
a large expanse of very flat and smooth ocean floor, usually found at depths of 4,600 to 5,500 meters (15,000 to 18,000 feet).

Wikipedia foundation.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Abyssal plain — Abyssal plains are flat or very gently sloping areas of the deep ocean basin floor. They are among the Earth s flattest and smoothest regions and the least explored. Abyssal plains cover approximately 40% of the ocean floor and reach depths… …   Wikipedia

  • abyssal plain — Flat seafloor area at a depth of 10,000–20,000 ft (3,000–6,000 m), generally adjacent to a continent. The larger plains are hundreds of miles wide and thousands of miles long. The plains are largest and most common in the Atlantic Ocean, less… …   Universalium

  • abyssal plain — noun : any of the great flat sediment covered areas of ocean floor * * * abyssal plain, a deep, extremely level undersea plain, such as the plain lying about 750 miles to 1,000 miles off the eastern coast of North America, with deposits of clay,… …   Useful english dictionary

  • abyssal plain —   large, relatively flat areas of ocean floor found at 5,000 6,000m below sea level. If sediments are discharged from a river and deposit relatively quickly onto the plain they may form an abyssal fan …   Geography glossary

  • Colombian Abyssal Plain — ▪ plain, Caribbean Sea       submarine plain forming part of the floor of the south central Caribbean Sea, and the deepest and flattest portion of the Colombian Basin. It rises to the southeast to form the Caribbean coast of Colombia, joins the… …   Universalium

  • abyssal plain — noun Date: 1954 any of the great flat sediment covered areas of ocean floor see continental shelf illustration …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • abyssal plain — the area of the generally flat ocean floor excluding ocean trenches below 2000 fathoms (3660 metres, presumably an older version based on fathoms) or 4000 metres …   Dictionary of ichthyology

  • abyssal plain — /əbɪsəl ˈpleɪn/ (say uhbisuhl playn) noun a flat or very gently sloping area on the bottom of the abyssopelagic zone which is covered in sediment accumulated over millions of years …  

  • Hatteras Abyssal Plain — ▪ submarine plain, Atlantic Ocean       submarine plain forming the floor of the northwestern Atlantic Ocean. It lies east of the North American continental shelf between the southern United States and Bermuda, extending about 900 mi (1,450 km)… …   Universalium

  • abyssal floor — abyssal plain …   Dictionary of ichthyology

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”