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Formation of the Ocean (The bottom of the ocean, deep beneath its surface,…
Formation of the Ocean
The bottom of the ocean, deep beneath its surface, is made of a thin layer of rocks.
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The region in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean basin, which is higher than the surrounding ocean floor, is known as a mid-ocean ridge. New oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges, where the ocean floor is spreading apart.
Volcanic activity formed these rocks, which comprise Earth's crust.
Shortly after Earth's formation, volcanoes were abundant and dotted its surface. At this time, no liquid water was present.
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After Earth's crust formed, and water filled the basins, giant segments of the crust began to move.
Over time, the ocean's floor is continually recycled as crust is broken down at some plate boundaries and new crust is forming at others.
The plates move around, driven by convection currents from the Earth's mantle
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New oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges, where the ocean floor is spreading apart.
Where the plates meet, Earth's crust is constantly formed and re-formed
Oceanic crust is broken down in regions called subduction zones. The plates in a subduction zone move toward each other so that one of the plates descends beneath the other.
When this type of movement occurs, deep trenches form near the subduction zones.
From these observations we can conclude that ocean formation is a continual process. Driven by geological processes, the oceans shrink and grow over long periods of time.
As temperatures cooled, liquid water collected in low-lying parts of Earth's surface. These formed the ocean basins we know today.
. New oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges, where the ocean floor is spreading apart. The oceanic plates are pushed away from each other by the formation of new crust in the center of the ridge.
