Planet Earth Ocean Floor

Away from the rocky slopes of the seamounts and midocean ridges the ocean floor is everywhere cold and muddy so scientists long assumed that fauna would be pretty much the same worldwide.

Planet earth ocean floor.

The left figure is a slice through the earth taken from. Directed by alastair fothergill. Https youtu be d7edgcxfz8q the ocean covers 70 of our planet. Open ocean a vast biotope covering two thirds of the planet some shallow some as deep as the mountain ranges are high.

The rest of the water covered area comprises mainly shallow seas the continental shelves and lakes. Bathymetry the shape of the ocean floor is largely a result of a process called plate tectonics the outer rocky layer of the earth includes about a dozen large sections called tectonic plates that are arranged like a spherical jig saw puzzle floating on top of the earth s hot flowing mantle. Planet observer getty images. Share your story with the world.

Watch the latest in the ocean series how to stop plastics getting into the ocean. The scientists work centred on a geological site in north western australia where a 3 2bn year old slab of ocean floor has been turned on its side. With david attenborough sigourney weaver doug anderson thomas anguti johnston. Plate tectonics and the ocean floor.

First ever digital map of the sea floor reveals our planet s alien landscape half a century of research and 14 500 samples has been compiled. About three quarters of our planet s surface is covered with water and the deep basins of the ocean floor account for approximately nine tenths of this water covered area that is some two thirds of the earth s surface. They could be the oldest known organisms on planet earth. What the earth would look like stripped of oceans.

Make use of google earth s detailed globe by tilting the map to save a perfect 3d view or diving into street view for a 360 experience. By robert kunzig june 13 2007 5 00 am. The ocean has an immense precariously complex food chain varying from microscopic animals like krill to whales which ironically feed mainly on the former.