Pacific Ocean
Earth's biggest sea
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's oceanic divisions, stretching from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, and from Asia and Australia to the Americas.
It covers more than 60 million square miles—larger than all landmasses combined.
The name, meaning peaceful, was given by Magellan after calm seas greeted his 1520 crossing, though the ocean is home to violent typhoons and the seismically active Ring of Fire.
Land surrounded by water
- atollsRing-shaped coral islands
- archipelagoChain of scattered islands
- Mariana TrenchDeepest oceanic chasm
- HawaiiPacific island state
Polynesia · Melanesia · Micronesia · Fiji · Tahiti · Samoa · Guam · ring of fire
Marine skeletal formation
- kelpLarge brown marine algae
- planktonDrifting marine microlife
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- whalesMassive marine mammals
dolphins · sharks · tuna · sea turtles · manta rays · squid · octopus · seagrass
Saltwater body, not ocean
- waterClear essential liquid
- wavesTraveling energy disturbances
- tidesPeriodic sea-level changes
- currentsDirectional flows of movement
depth · basin · seafloor · trench · abyssal · pelagic · saline · briny
- BalboaPanama's official currency
- Kon-TikiFamous oceangoing balsa raft
- voyageJourney by sea
- expeditionOrganized exploratory journey
circumnavigate · discovery · navigator · chart · compass · astrolabe · trade winds · galleon
Pacific seismic belt
- volcanoEarth's fiery vent
- earthquakeSeismic ground movement
- subductionPlate descending beneath another
- tsunamiSeismic sea surge
tectonics · seismology · fault · hotspot · convergent · divergent · transform · seismic
islands
Land surrounded by water
- atollsRing-shaped coral islands
- archipelagoChain of scattered islands
- Mariana TrenchDeepest oceanic chasm
Hawaii · Polynesia · Melanesia · Micronesia · Fiji · Tahiti · Samoa · Guam · ring of fire · seamounts
coral
Marine skeletal formation
- kelpLarge brown marine algae
- planktonDrifting marine microlife
- biodiversityRange of life forms
whales · dolphins · sharks · tuna · sea turtles · manta rays · squid · octopus · seagrass · mangrove
sea
Saltwater body, not ocean
currents · depth · basin · seafloor · trench · abyssal · pelagic · saline · briny · nautical
Magellan
expedition · circumnavigate · discovery · navigator · chart · compass · astrolabe · trade winds · galleon · seafaring
ring of fire
Pacific seismic belt
- volcanoEarth's fiery vent
- earthquakeSeismic ground movement
- subductionPlate descending beneath another
tsunami · tectonics · seismology · fault · hotspot · convergent · divergent · transform · seismic · crust
immense
Extremely large in scope
endless · horizon · expanse · scale · distance · wide · open · spanning · hemisphere · remoteness
calm
Free from agitation
still · gentle · naming · smooth sailing · balmy · mild · halcyon
- watersoceans, seas, Red Sea, lakes, Black Sea
- OceaniaFiji, New Zealand, Australia, Samoa, Tonga
- oceansdeep sea, seabed, Gulf Stream, Mariana Trench, marine life
- PacificRing of Fire, Oceania, Polynesia, Micronesia, Melanesia
- California CoastHighway 1, Big Sur, Monterey Bay, Malibu, Santa Cruz
- Pacific Coastbeach, sand, kelp, sea stacks, dunes
Pacific OceanAtlantic Ocean
Second-largest marine body
Indian Ocean · Arctic Ocean · Southern Ocean · Mediterranean Sea · North Sea
ocean, peaceful, pacify, oceanic, pacific, Pacific, pacification, oceanography, oceanographer