Lesson 1 - Geology of the Seafloor

Text by Aaron Micallef; Design and images by Martin Galea De Giovanni

Introduction Ocean bottom Seafloor Features Rocks and Sediment Interesting bites Glossary Home

Interesting bites The oceans contain 2 million tons of dissolved gold – i.e. enough to give 9 pounds of gold to each inhabitant on earth. 75% of the water in the world ocean (the great depths) has a temperature between 0 °C and 2 °C. The oceans reach a maximum depth of 10,924m (the Mariana’s Trench, close to the Philippines). This is more than 2km higher then Mt. Everest in the Himalayas! The longest mountain range in the world is found underwater – it is 40,000 miles long and it is the mid-oceanic ridge. The top ten feet of the ocean hold as much heat as our entire atmosphere Less than 10% of the oceans has been explored by humans