File:Oceanic_basin.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
abyssal plain
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Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- plain
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- topic's main category
- Category:Abyssal plains
- described by source
- Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia
- exact match
- purl.obolibrary.org/obo/ENVO_00000244
- OpenStreetMap tag
- seamark:sea_area:category=abyssal_plain
via Wikidata · CC0
~32 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Diagrammatic cross-section of an oceanic basin, showing the relationship of the abyssal plain to a continental rise and an oceanic trench Depiction of the abyssal zone in relation to other major oceanic zones
An abyssal plain is an underwater plain on the deep ocean floor, usually found at depths between 3,000 and 6,000 metres (9,800 and 19,700 ft). Lying generally between the foot of a continental rise and a mid-ocean ridge, abyssal plains cover more than 50% of the Earth's surface. They are among the flattest, smoothest, and least explored regions on Earth. Abyssal plains are key geologic elements of oceanic basins, the other elements being an elevated mid-ocean ridge and flanking abyssal hills.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “abyssal plain” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
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