The relief of the bottom of the oceans is of interest to many researchers, given the fact that this aspect is still not fully understood. In any case, there are secrets and phenomena unexplained from the point of view of science, which the Pacific Ocean hides in itself. The bottom relief of this part of the World Ocean is of great interest to scientists all over the world, therefore, studies of a similar topic are organized with enviable frequency. It was scientific expeditions that studied the bottom of the Pacific Ocean that received results that at one time completely changed the human idea of not only the bottom itself, but also the geological structure of the Earth in general.
Ocean platforms
The features of the bottom topography of the Pacific Ocean surprise many researchers. But speaking in order, it is worth starting with the concept of “oceanic platforms”.
They represent certain sections of the cortex, which have long ago lost their mobility, as well as the ability to deform. Scientists also distinguish those sections of the ocean floor that are still quite active and are currently geosynclines. Such active sections of the crust are widespread in the Pacific Ocean, namely in its western part.
The Ring of Fire
What is the so-called "ring of fire"? In fact, the Pacific Ocean is located in its very center, and this is why it is significantly different from its relatives. For your information, approximately 600 volcanoes are currently registered on land, but 418 of them are located on the shores of the Pacific Ocean.
There are volcanoes that do not stop their violent activity even in our time. This applies primarily to the famous Fuji, as well as Klyuchevskaya hill. There are volcanoes that remain visible calm for a rather long period, but at one point can dramatically turn into fire-breathing monsters. For example, it refers to a volcano such as Bundai-san in Japan. As a result of his awakening, several villages were affected.
Scientists even recorded a volcano on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
Awakened volcanoes of the "ring of fire"
In addition to the well-known and world-famous awakening volcano Bundai-San, many more such cases have been recorded. For example, Bezymyannyi volcano, located in one of the regions of Kamchatka, declared itself to the whole world in the 1950s. When he woke up from centuries of sleep, seismologists could record approximately 150-200 earthquakes per day.
His eruption shocked many researchers, some of them in the future could confidently say that this was one of the most violent volcanic paroxysms of the last century. The only thing that pleases is the absence of settlements and people in the area of the eruption.
And here is another “monster" - Ruiz volcano in Colombia. His awakening killed more than 20 thousand people.
Hawaiian Islands
In fact, what we see is just the tip of the iceberg that hides the Pacific Ocean. Its relief features consist mainly in the fact that a fairly long chain of volcanoes stretches in the center. And it is the Hawaiian Islands that are the top of the underwater Hawaiian Range, which is considered a large volcanic cluster with a length of more than 2000 kilometers.
The Hawaiian ridge stretches right up to the Midway Atolls, as well as the Kure, which are located in the northwest.
Hawaii itself consists of five active closed volcanoes, the height of some of them can exceed four kilometers. This applies primarily to the volcanoes of Mauna Kea, as well as Mauna Loa. The most interesting thing is that if you measure the height of the Maun Loa volcano from the very bottom, which is located on the bottom of the ocean, it turns out that its height is more than ten kilometers.
Pit of the pacific
The most entertaining ocean, as well as hiding many secrets, is the Pacific Ocean. The bottom relief is surprising in its diversity and is the basis for reflection for many learned minds.
To a greater extent this applies to the basin of the Pacific Ocean, which has a depth of up to 4300 meters, while such formations are the most remarkable element for scientific research. The most famous around the world - Challenger, Galatea, Emden, Cape Johnson, Planet, Snellius, Tuscarora, Ramalo. For example, the Challenger has a depth of 11 thousand 33 meters, followed by Galatea with its depth of 10 thousand 539 meters. Depth Emden is 10 thousand 399 meters, while Cape Johnson has a depth of 10 thousand 497 meters. The Tuskaror Depression, with its maximum depth over the entire length of 8 thousand 513 meters, is considered the most “shallow” one.
Seamounts
If you are ever asked: “Describe the relief of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean,” then you can immediately start talking about seamounts, because this is what your interlocutor will immediately be interested in. At the bottom of this wonderful ocean there are many seamounts called “guyots”. They are characterized by their flat peaks, and at the same time they can be at a depth of about 1.5 kilometers, and maybe even much deeper.
The basic theory of scientists says that earlier seamounts were active volcanoes that rose above sea level. Subsequently, they were washed out and were under water. By the way, the latter fact alarms the researchers, because it can also testify to the fact that earlier this part of the cortex experienced a kind of “bending”.
Bed of the pacific
Earlier, a lot of research was carried out in this direction, a lot of scientific expeditions were sent in order to better examine the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The photos indicate that the prevailing bed of this amazing ocean is made of red clay. To a lesser extent, blue silt or crushed fragments of coral can be found at the bottom.
It is noteworthy that large areas of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean are often also covered with diatom, globigerin, radiolar, and also pteropod silt. Another interesting fact is that in various bottom sediments one can often find shark teeth or manganese nodules.
General data on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean
The formation of the bottom of the Pacific is influenced by factors such as exogenous as well as endogenous. The latter are internal and tectonic - they appear in the form of various underwater earthquakes, the slow motion of the earth's crust, as well as volcanic eruptions. This is what is of interest to the Pacific Ocean. The bottom topography is constantly changing due to the presence of a huge number of volcanoes both on its coast and deep under water. Exogenous factors include various currents, sea waves, and turbid currents. Such flows are characterized by the fact that they are saturated with solid particles that are not soluble in water, which at the same time move with great speed and along the slope. Also significantly changes the topography and vital activity of marine organisms.
Many scientists are very interested in the Pacific. The bottom relief was conditionally divided into several forms. Namely: the underwater margin of the continents, the transition zone, the bed of the ocean, as well as the middle oceanic ridges. Of 73 million square meters. km 10% of the submarine margin falls precisely on the Pacific Ocean.
The continental slope is a part of the bottom, which has a slope of 3 or 6 degrees, and it is also located at the outer edge of the shelf of the underwater margin. It is noteworthy that off the coast of volcanic or coral islands, which the Pacific Ocean is rich in, the slope can reach 40 or 50 degrees.
The transition zone is characterized by the presence of secondary forms, which will be located in a strict order. Namely, at first the basin of the marginal sea adjoins the mainland foot, and from the side of the ocean it will be limited by the steep slopes of mountain ranges. This is quite typical for the Japanese, East China, Mariana, Aleutian transition zones, which are located in the western part of the Pacific Ocean.