Is named abyssal plain to the portion of the continent that sinks into the ocean and forms a surface with a tendency to be flat, which is located at depths between 2000 and 6000 meters below sea level. This portion of the continental surface is easily identifiable because its profile is close to being horizontal, unlike the underwater terrain that surrounds it..
Before reaching the abyssal plain there is an abrupt fall known as the continental slope, and after this new abrupt falls can be found: the abyssal pits or abysses..
It is estimated that, together, all these gentle oceanic slopes could make up 40% of the sea floor, making them the largest sediment deposits on the planet.
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The main characteristic of the abyssal plains is described in their name: like the plains on the mainland, they are almost flat. They have a slope or inclination, but this is practically imperceptible due to the vast extensions in which it develops.
These plains are produced by the constant accumulation of sediments caused by natural processes on the continent and which, in one way or another, discharge their content into the sea..
These sediments travel through the different currents and settle at different depths, covering gaps, which generates as a result plains that register up to 800 meters of sedimented material..
Given the great depth in which this area of the ocean floor is located, sunlight cannot reach it. For this reason, the temperatures are extremely low, almost reaching the freezing point..
Thanks to all these extreme conditions and due to the great pressures that can be recorded, one might think that there is not much life in that region, but that would be a mistake..
Most of these abyssal plains are concentrated in the Atlantic Ocean. The Indian Ocean also has plains, but they occupy much less area compared to the Atlantic..
In the Pacific Ocean, where abrupt topographic changes predominate, it is more difficult to find them. There they are relegated to the small strips of underwater soil between abyssal accidents..
The unchanged relief, typical of the abyssal plain, is hardly disturbed by formations such as the following:
They are elements formed by the accumulation of material from underwater volcanic eruptions. This material accumulates eruption after eruption, creating a small ridge with well-defined edges and gently falling side walls..
They are nothing more than volcanic hills that, due to their constant and abundant activity, have managed to emerge to the surface, even reaching several hundred meters above sea level..
They are strange formations through which water emanates at impressive temperatures. Despite the fact that in its immediate environment the water is at a temperature almost freezing (scarce 2 ° C), through these vents the water can escape with temperatures that vary between 60 ° C and almost 500 ° C.
Due to the crushing pressure at these depths, the water can maintain its liquid state or become what is known as a supercritical fluid. The combination of pressure and the concentration of salinity means that water can change its physical properties and hover between liquid and gas..
As is logical to think, this occurs from the magmatic action of the tectonic plates that make up our globe. These vents make an important contribution to dissipating the increasing pressure between plates..
Although this is not a physical element as such, it is a phenomenon that only occurs in these plains and was discovered recently (1983, in the Gulf of Mexico)..
It is a kind of lagoons or pools of concentration of hydrocarbons, hydrogen sulfide and methane that "float" between the deep ocean waters..
These concentrations, discovered for the first time at a depth of 3,200 m, are perceived by the difference in density with the surrounding waters. We could imagine a drop of oil in a glass of water, but on a much larger scale.
With the slow passage of time, this concentration of substances is being decanted and degraded until it disappears.
It is another formation whose origin could also be volcanic. In this case it is a tubular or conical structure that seems to have managed to emerge to the surface but was eroded over time, thus leaving its top flattened. To have a graphic image, it is worth saying that it is a volcanic island cut at the height of the sea.
At first, when the abyssal plains were discovered, they were assumed to be vast expanses of desert. The great distance that separates us from these, the vastness of the surface they occupy, and the difficulty involved in being able to visit them, made scientists around the world follow this line of thought for many years.
Despite the fact that in the last two decades it has been shown that a great diversity of species makes life in the abyssal plains, the way in which they interact and the structure of their ecosystems has not yet been studied in depth..
It must be taken into account that no sunlight reaches these immense depths, so there is no type of plant species capable of photosynthesis. In this difficult environment it is only possible to obtain energy from the debris that falls from the surface or by chemosynthesis.
Hydrothermal vents or hydrothermal vents are the places where life is concentrated and swarms, capable of carrying out this process of converting heat, minerals and gaseous emanations into vital energy. Chemosynthesis is a process reserved for a handful of plant species that are part of the food chain at the bottom of the sea.
Unthinkable creatures inhabit the deep sea. Currently there are between 17,000 and 20,000 known species for that strip of ocean, but if we think that only 10% of the ocean is known, it can be concluded that we are not even close to knowing all of the inhabitants of that ocean. medium deep, cold and dark.
Invertebrates such as crustaceans, snails, worms, bacteria, protozoa, and ghostly-looking fish inhabit these vast expanses. Poorly studied, it is only possible to see them in their environment with specialized equipment, underwater robots, bathyscaphs, powerful submersibles, among other mechanisms..
Something notorious among the species of the fauna of the deep ocean is bioluminescence, a phenomenon in which the animal can make areas of its body shine thanks to chemical substances and body electricity. This phenomenon is recurrent and serves both for navigation and to get food, attracting the prey to a deadly trap.
Other characteristics present in the inhabitants of the abyssal plains are the evolution of eyes (which may have disappeared in some cases), the evolution of jaws with large and sharp teeth that project beyond the body of the animal, and the majority presence of individuals with dark or dull skin colorations.
By continental shelf it defines the portion of the continent that enters the sea and begins to sink. That downward journey, starting at the 0.00 s.n.m. level. (above sea level) can take a few meters or hundreds of kilometers.
In general, the continental shelf is taken as that submarine extension of the continent that extends until the first abrupt fall towards the depths (the continental slope). The average depth for this strip of ocean is 200 m.
If you make a graph of the ocean profile, the continental shelf would be a long beach that begins on the continent and continues and sinks into the sea. After that, it would run into a first great fall (the so-called continental slope) and after this slope a new beach or horizontal line with a small slope would begin: the abyssal plain..
So, we can say that both underwater features share similarity in profile and relief. Their main difference lies in the depth at which each of these is located, the pressure, the temperature, the light that each one receives and the biodiversity they harbor..
Without a doubt, life on the continental shelf bustles everywhere. The best known marine species, in their different shapes and sizes, adorn the landscape, share space and serve as a renewable resource for their exploitation.
Due to the rugged seabed, the distribution of tectonic plates and the consequences of their collisions, the abyssal plains are found in unequal numbers throughout the different oceans of the planet. Below we will list the most outstanding ones taking into account the ocean of which they are part:
- Abyssal Plain Sohm.
- Abyssal plain of Ceará.
- Abyssal Plain of Pernambuco.
- Argentine abyssal plain.
- Abyssal plain of Vizcaya.
- Abyssal plain of Cape Verde.
- Angola abyssal plain.
- Weddell Abyssal Plain.
- Abyssal Plain of Somalia.
- Abyssal Plain of Arabia.
- Abyssal Plain Perth.
- Tasmanian abyssal plain.
- Abyssal Plain Tufts.
- Aleutian Netherplain.
- Abyssal Plain Bellishausen.
- Abyssal Plain Enderby.
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