seafloor
Abyssal plain location
The seafloor is the bottom of the ocean—the surface of the earth beneath the sea.
It includes continental shelves, underwater mountain ranges, and deep trenches.
Marine geologists study seafloor spreading, where tectonic plates move apart and new crust forms.
Also spelled sea floor.
Of the sea bottom
- coralMarine skeletal formation
- spongeAbsorbent cleaning material
- anemoneTentacled polyp or bloom
- urchinNeglected street child
starfish · crab · lobster · octopus · clam · mussel · worm · cucumber
Particles settling in liquid
- basaltFine-grained volcanic stone
- crustHard outer layer
- tectonicsStudy of crustal deformation
- subductionPlate descending beneath another
volcanism · magma · lithosphere · silt · clay · sand · ooze · strata
Long narrow excavation
- basinConcave water receptacle
- canyonDeep river-cut gorge
- seamountSubmerged volcanic elevation
- plateauFlat highland area
ridge · rift · escarpment · knoll · chasm · pinnacle · slope · trough
Underwater detection by echoes
- bathymetrySubaqueous topographical measurement
- mappingDiagram of correspondences
- submersibleUnderwater exploration vehicle
- ROVPiloted-from-above underwater craft
dive · survey · sampling · drilling · oceanography · Alvin · Trieste · NOAA
Organism-generated light emission
- chemosynthesisEnergy from chemical reactions
- darknessTotal absence of light
- pressureForce upon contact
- coldLow temperature state
benthic
Of the sea bottom
urchin · starfish · crab · lobster · octopus · clam · mussel · worm · cucumber · hagfish
sediment
Particles settling in liquid
subduction · volcanism · magma · lithosphere · silt · clay · sand · ooze · strata · deposition
trench
Long narrow excavation
plateau · ridge · rift · escarpment · knoll · chasm · pinnacle · slope · trough · rise
sonar
Underwater detection by echoes
- bathymetrySubaqueous topographical measurement
- mappingDiagram of correspondences
- submersibleUnderwater exploration vehicle
ROV · dive · survey · sampling · drilling · oceanography · Alvin · Trieste · NOAA · expedition
bioluminescence
Organism-generated light emission
- chemosynthesisEnergy from chemical reactions
- darknessTotal absence of light
- pressureForce upon contact
- aquatic zonescoastal zones, marine habitats, aquatic habitats, continental shelf, open ocean
- hydrographyhydrography, bathymetry, nautical charts, soundings, nautical chart
- seafloor sedimentssediment layers, substrate, detritus, organic matter, mud flats
- oceanwaves, Atlantic, Pacific, tide, tides
- ocean lifeocean, shark, whale, dolphin, ocean life
- underwaterunderwater, submerged, immersed, seabed, coral reef
seafloorsea surface
Water-air interface
ocean surface · surface · surface waters · water surface · sea level
seafloorland surface
Exposed geological exterior
dry land · terra firma · land · mountaintop · summit