Knowra Marine geology Marine geology Marine geology studies the ocean floor’s structure, materials, processes, and history, including the formation of ocean basins and the sediments and rocks they contain.
Seafloor spreading : The creation of new oceanic crust as tectonic plates move apart at mid-ocean ridges. It explains how much of the ocean floor forms and expands.
Oceanic crust : Earth's thin, dense crust beneath ocean basins, formed mainly from basaltic rocks. Its composition and age underpin interpretations of ocean-floor structure.
Paleoclimatology : The study of past climates using evidence preserved in geological, biological, and chemical records. Marine sediment cores preserve long records of climate and ocean change.
HMS Challenger expedition : A global scientific voyage from 1872 to 1876 that helped establish modern oceanography. Its soundings and samples provided foundational evidence about deep-ocean environments.
Mid-Atlantic Ridge : A divergent plate boundary forming a submarine mountain chain down the Atlantic Ocean. It displays seafloor spreading and the construction of new oceanic crust.
Plate tectonics : The theory that Earth's lithosphere is divided into moving plates whose interactions shape the planet's surface. It provides the framework for interpreting ocean-basin formation and motion.
Continental margin : The submerged edge of a continent, including its shelf, slope, and rise where present. Margins connect continental geology with deep-ocean basins.
Marine geohazards : Geological hazards in marine environments, including submarine landslides, earthquakes, and volcanic activity. Seafloor geology helps identify processes that threaten coasts and infrastructure.
Marie Tharp : An American geologist and oceanographic cartographer who mapped the Atlantic seafloor and identified its central rift valley. Her maps made the global structure of the seafloor legible to scientists.
Mariana Trench : A crescent-shaped oceanic trench in the western Pacific, including Earth's deepest known point. It exemplifies the extreme topography produced at a subduction zone.
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