Facts about Ocean Floor Topography

1. 06

   Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench plunges approximately 10,935 meters below sea level, making it the deepest known point on Earth's ocean floor.

   Ocean Floor TopographyAug 31sharegeographymeasurementtrench
2. 05

   Seamounts, which are underwater volcanoes rising from the ocean floor without reaching the surface, number in the tens of thousands across the world's ocean basins.

   Ocean Floor TopographyJun 7sharegeologyvolcanoesgeography
3. 04

   Hydrothermal vents, first discovered in 1977 near the Galápagos Rift, are a dramatic feature of ocean floor topography that support unique chemosynthetic ecosystems.

   Ocean Floor TopographyJun 7sharegeologydiscoverybiology
4. 03

   Sonar mapping technology, particularly multibeam echosounders, has allowed scientists to chart ocean floor topography in far greater detail than the surface of Mars or the Moon.

   Ocean Floor TopographyJun 7sharetechnologymappingexploration
5. 02

   Abyssal plains, which cover much of the deep ocean floor, are among the flattest and smoothest surfaces on Earth, formed by sediment burial of underlying topography.

   Ocean Floor TopographyJun 7sharegeologyseafloorsediment
6. 01

   The ocean floor topography includes mid-ocean ridges, deep-sea trenches, abyssal plains, and seamounts, making it as varied as any continental landscape.

   Ocean Floor TopographyJun 7sharegeologyoceanographygeography