Science Akanksha Mishra 6B

Essay 11/15/10

Do you know what is in the ocean? Well, we have not searched every centimeter on

the ocean, but we do know the general idea of how the inside of an ocean looks like, the landforms,

what affects the ocean floor, and the habitats. We also know some cool facts about the ocean. For

example, we know what the deepest trench is, what the largest mountain range is, and what the fire

triangle is. All of these things are in my report, so if you interested in something, just read ahead!

Around each country that is bordered by water, there is a gradually descending underwater

ramp called the continental shelf. The deepest part ever found on a continental shelf is about 460

feet. Even though this sounds extremely deep (for a human being), the continental shelf is actually

the shallowest area of the ocean. Because of their small depth, they have the most marine life in the

ocean. At the end of the continental shelf, there is the shelf break. On the other side of the shelf

break, there is the continental slope. The continental slope is like a jagged cliff side. Like a side of a

cliff, it looks like a sheer drop. Sometimes, canyons cut into the continental slope. These canyons are

extremely beautiful and are a sight to look at. After the canyons and continental slope, there comes

the abyssal plain. This is also known more commonly as the ocean floor. This smooth surface is

blanketed by sediment that can be as much as 3300 feet thick. This is where you can find a few deep

trenches, undersea mountains, mid- ocean ridges, and undersea volcanoes.

Mid- ocean ridges are places where the plates of the world’s crust are cracked open.

Two plates split and then it waits for magma to flow. The global mid- ocean ridge system has a

series of volcanoes that erupt and tries to ooze out lava. But before it gets to erupt, the lava is frozen

into the ground, creating a new surface. This process creates a new ocean floor and a mountain

range. The longest underwater mountain range is the Mid- Atlantic Ridge. This mountain range is
very important because researchers have found out that it is the epicentre for many earthquakes in

the Atlantic Ocean area.

When two plates crack, they bump into other plates. Trenches are created by this

bumping. These trenches are the deepest parts of the ocean. Since the trenches are on the abyssal

plain, they get tons of pressures and no light. In some places, the pressures get up to 16,000 pounds

per square inch! The deepest trench ever found till now is the Marianas Trench. This trench is

located in the Marianas Islands of the Southeast Pacific Ocean. This trench is extremely important

because it is the deepest known place in the whole entire ocean. Imagine, if a shallow place is 460

feet, then what the deepest place in the ocean?

Seamounts are cone-shaped, volcanic mountains that rise hundreds or sometimes

thousands of meters above the ocean floor. They are often found in desolate places. The seamounts

that manage to get enough lava to molten into the rock and reach the surface are called oceanic

islands. The seamounts are important for many reasons, but one reason is that they are a base for

coal mining and fisheries.

The fire triangle (a.k.a. the ring of fire) is a group of volcanoes that are in the basin of the

Pacific Ocean. This triangle houses over 452 volcanoes. About ¾ of these are active and dormant.

Approximately 80% of major earthquakes happen in this area. The fire triangle is a massive area

where plates of Earth’s crust crash into. There are many islands around this territory.

There are a few different types of islands. One is the oceanic island. Another is an atoll. A

ring of islands (usually coral reef islands) around a shallow central lagoon are atolls. A theory is that

atolls began as coral reefs surrounding an island. Years later, the crust of the island sank, but the

reefs kept growing. Soon, they became a barrier of the original island. This theory is generally

accepted among scientists today.

 So far I have told you about the landforms on the ocean floor, what affects the ocean floor,

what the fire triangle is, what the deepest trench is, what the largest mountain range is under water,

and why the deepest trench and largest underwater mountain range are important. But there are a few

more things left to write about.

There are a lot of habitats in the ocean. One example of a habitat is a coral reef. It is in the

shallow parts of the oceans; therefore, it gets massive amounts of sunlight. Because of this sunlight,

many plants are able to grow there. Through photosynthesis, the plants are able to convert light

energy into chemical energy. So, when animals eat the plants and then other animals devour the

herbivore animals, they get a part of the energy. That is why coral reefs are successful habitats.

Another type of a habitat is an estuary. It is the connection between freshwater lakes, rivers,

streams, or something of the like and saltwater oceans, or seas. Because of the combination of

saltwater and freshwater, the sediment in the estuaries is rich in nutrients. Though tides hit these

habitats often, they are protected from wind and storms because of the boundaries that an estuary

has. This is what makes an estuary a great habitat.

Hopefully, you now have the information you wanted about the things I have written about. I

have told a little about: the landforms on the ocean floor, what affects the ocean floor, the habitats in

the ocean, the fire triangle, what the deepest trench is, what the longest mountain range is, and why

the deepest trench and longest mountain are important. Now, I finish my essay!
 There are many different ways to say the word “stream”. Just a few are brook,

creek, rivulet, and streamlet. A couple others are freshet, runnel, and rill. So,

now, instead of calling it a regular old stream, you can call it any of the names

above.