Definition
The average depth of the deep seafloor (this is by definition the floor of the oceans that is underlain by normally, e.g. 5–8 km thick basaltic ocean crust under normal tectonic loads). Consequently, the age-depth relation does not apply to (a) those parts of the oceans that are underlain by continental crust such as continental shelves, some epeiric seas, or continental fragments; (b) convergent plate boundaries where tectonic loading by subduction leads to deep-sea trenches that exceed the “normal” average depth of the seafloor; and (c) regions where the seafloor was formed by flood basalt events (large igneous provinces) and the ocean crust is thickened) relative to the sea surface is a function of the age of the oceanic crust. Newly formed oceanic crust is found at water depths around 2,500 m globally, whereas its depth increases by 1,000 m during the first 10 million years after its formation. This deepening with time is called (thermal) subsidence. Subsidence slows...
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Voelker, D. (2014). Subsidence: Marine Geosciences. In: Harff, J., Meschede, M., Petersen, S., Thiede, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Marine Geosciences. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6644-0_211-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6644-0_211-1
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Abyssal Plains- Published:
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6644-0_211-2
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Subsidence: Marine Geosciences- Published:
- 22 September 2014
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6644-0_211-1