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Geology 115
Chapter 3
24
Geology
Undergraduate 1
10/08/2007

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Term
Ocean Covers _____ Earth
Definition
70%
Term
Passive continental margin
Definition
Found on the east coast of North America, includes continental shelf, slope, and rise.
Term
Abyssal Plain
Definition
Forms a flat ocean floor beyond a continental rise.
Term
Active Continental Margin
Definition
Found around the Pacific Rim, and has a much steeper continental slope.
Term
Continental Shelf
Definition
A shallow submarine platform at the edge of a continent.
Term
Continental Slope
Definition
A relatively steep slope that extends from the continental shelf to the ocean floor.
Term
Submarine Canyons
Definition
V-shaped valleys that run across continental shelves and down continental slopes.
Term
Abyssal Fan
Definition
Fan shaped deposits of sediment derived from Submarine canyons.
Term
Turbidity Currents
Definition
Great masses of sediment-laden water that are pulled downhill by gravity.
Term
Continental Rise
Definition
A wedge of sediment that extends from the lower part of the continental slope to the deep-sea floor.
Term
Contour Current
Definition
A bottom current that flows parallel to the slopes of the continental margin.
Term
Oceanic Trench
Definition
A narrow, deep trough parallel to the edge of the continent.
Term
Mid-Oceanic Ridge
Definition
A giant undersea mountain range that extends around the world.
Term
Fracture Zones
Definition
Major lines of weakness in earths crust that cross the mid-oceanic ridge at approximately right angles.
Term
Seamounts
Definition
Conical undersea mountains that rise 3280 feet or more above the sea floor.
Term
Guyots
Definition
Flat topped seamounts.
Term
Aseismic Ridges
Definition
Submarine ridges that are not associated with earthquakes.
Term
Reefs
Definition
Wave resistant ridges of coral, algae, and other calcareous organisms.
Term
Fringing Reefs
Definition
Flat, table-like reefs attached directly to the shore.
Term
Barrier Reefs
Definition
Parallel to the shore but separated from it by wide, deep lagoons.
Term
Atolls
Definition
Circular reefs that rim lagoons.
Term
Terrigenous Sediment
Definition
Land-derived sediment that has found its way to the sea floor.
Term
Pelagic Sediment
Definition
Sediment that settles slowly through the ocean water.
Term
Ophiolites
Definition
Distinctive rock sequences found in many mountain chains on land.
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