The Earth’s surface is divided into two major types: oceanic, with a thin dense crust about 10 km thick, and continental, with a thick light crust of about 40 km which are also known as first-order relief features.
The ocean and seas cover 70.8% of the surface of the earth, which amounts to approximately 361,254,000 km2.
The study of the ocean is oceanography which focuses on the study of the physical properties and dynamics of the ocean.
The average depth of oceans is 3800m
Hypsographic or hypsometric curve is a technique used for measuring the ocean depth as well as the elevation of a relief.
Major Ocean relief features
Continental shelf
Continental slope
Continental rise
Deep sea plains
Deep ocean Trench
Continental shelf
The continental shelf extends seaward from the shore with an average gradient of 1 in 500.
The average depth of the continental shelf is 200m.
The average slope of the continental shelf is 1 degree.
It covers approximately 7.5% of the total ocean cover.
Worlds 20% production of crude oil and natural gases have come from the continental shelf.
Continental slope
The average slope of continental slope is 2 – 5 degrees.
It covers approximately 5.5% of the total ocean cover.
The percentage of the Continental slope in the Atlantic Ocean is 12.4%, in the Pacific Ocean 7%, and in the Indian Ocean, it is 6.5%.
Continental Rise
The continental rise is slightly sloping between the continental slope and the deep seabed abyssal plain.
The average slope is 0.5 – 1 degree.
The average depth lies between 2000 – 3000m.
Deep sea plain
The average depth of the deep sea plain lies between 3000 – 6000m.
It covers approximately 75.9% of the total ocean cover.
The percentage of deep-sea plain in the Pacific Ocean is 80.3%, in the Indian ocean 80.1% and in the Atlantic Ocean, it is 54.9%.
Ocean Trench
The deepest part of the ocean.
Generally, trenches are found near to coastline and parallel to the coast.
The world’s deepest trench is the Mariana trench.
Normally the ocean trench depth is 5500m.
Plate tectonic theory is the most relevant theory for expanding the origin of ocean trenches.