Discuss in detail various features found on the ocean floor.

1. Continental shelf, 2. Continental slope, 3. Submarine canyon, 4. Abyssal plains, 5. Submarine ridges, 6. Ocean deeps

Continental Shelf : The area lying between shoreline and the continental slope. Its seaward slope is very gentle and is covered with shallow water.  
Continental Slope : It is an area of steep slope extending just after the continental shelf upto a considerable depth from where a gentle sea plain takes its form. The extent of the slope area is usually between 200-2000 metres depth. But sometimes it may extend to 36000 metres from the mean sea level. The continental slope along many coasts of the world is furrowed by deep canyon-like trenches. Continental slope covers 8.5 per cent of the total ocean area.

There are five types of slopes :

(i) Fairly steep with the surface dissected by canyons.

(ii) Gentle slope with elongated hills and basins.

(iii) Faulted slopes.

(iv) Slopes with terraces and

(v) Slopes with sea mounts.

The Abyssal Plains : Beyond the continental slope are the Abyssal Plains. They are located at a depth of 3000 to 6000 metres. They cover about 40% of the ocean floor. The deposits of fine matter containing bones and shells of minute animals that live and die on the surface of sea are found. They are found in all the major oceans of the world.

Submarine features and their depths

Submarine Canyons : They are deep valleys which have sharply oceanic floors. They occur along all the coasts of the world. Submarine canyons are of three types :

(i) The small gorges extend down from the edges of continental shelves to continental slopes.

(ii) The canyons situated at the mouths of rivers.

(iii) The canyons of dendritic appearance.
Oceanic deeps or trenches are the deepest parts of the oceans. Trenches are steep-sided and narrow basins.