Oceans and seas:Abyssal hill
Published: March 28, 2010, 12:00 am
Updated: June 5, 2012, 7:57 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
C Michael Hogan
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This article is written at a definitional level only. Authors wishing to improve this entry are inivited to expand the present treatment, which additions will be peer reviewed prior to publication of any expansion. |
An abyssal hill is a small elevated landform found only in the deep sea, which topographic feature arises from the ocean basin floor with heights ranging from 10 to over 500 feet and widths from a few hundred feet to a few miles. They are found along the seaward margin of most abyssal plains and originate from the spreading of mid-ocean ridges. As such, they usually form two strips parallel to mid-ocean ridges. They generally decrease in height as one traverses away from the ridges as they gradually become covered with sediment and are replaced by abyssal plains.
The official International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) definition for this undersea feature name is “a tract of small elevations on the deep seafloor.”
See Also
Further Reading
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Physical Oceanography Index
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Rhodes W. Fairbridge, editor. The Encyclopedia of Oceanography. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1966
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Citation
Steve Baum (Lead Author);Peter Saundry (Contributing Author);C Michael Hogan (Topic Editor) "Abyssal hill". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth March 28, 2010; Last revised Date June 5, 2012; Retrieved May 22, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Abyssal_hill?topic=49523>
The Author
Assistant Research Scientist, Physical Section
Department of Oceanography
Texas A&M University ... (Full Bio)
|
This article is written at a definitional level only. Authors wishing to improve this entry are inivited to expand the present treatment, which additions will be peer reviewed prior to publication of any expansion. |
An abyssal hill is a small elevated landform found only in the deep sea, which topographic feature arises from the ocean basin floor with heights ranging from 10 to over 500 feet and widths from a few hundred feet to a few miles. They are found along the seaward margin of most abyssal plains and originate from the spreading of mid-ocean ridges. As such, they usually form two strips parallel to mid-ocean ridges. They generally decrease in height as one traverses away from the ridges as they gradually become covered with sediment and are replaced by abyssal plains.
The official International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) definition for this undersea feature name is “a tract of small elevations on the deep seafloor.”
See Also
Further Reading
-
Physical Oceanography Index
-
Rhodes W. Fairbridge, editor. The Encyclopedia of Oceanography. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1966
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