√ Ocean: Definition, Formation Process and Characteristics

Ocean: Definition, Formation Process and Characteristics - On this occasion About Knowledge will discuss about the Ocean. Which in this discussion explains the meaning of oceans, the process of forming oceans, the names of oceans and their characteristics briefly and clearly. For more details, please see the following article.

Ocean: Definition, Formation Process and Characteristics

This ocean covers 71% (seventy one percent) of the earth's surface, with an area of ​​about 361 million square km. Then the contents of the ocean are around 1,370 million km³ with an average depth of 3,790 meters. (This calculation does not include seas that are not connected to the oceans, such as the Caspian Sea).

Definition of Ocean

The ocean or sea is a vast sea and is also a continuous mass of salt water covering the earth's surface which is limited by the presence of continents or large islands.

There are 5 (five) oceans on earth including:

1. Antarctic Ocean/Southern Ocean
2. Arctic Ocean
3. Atlantic Ocean
4. Indian Ocean
5. Pacific Ocean / Pacific Ocean

Ocean Formation Process

Of the total surface area of ​​the earth, about 75% or 2/3 of it is ocean. This is why the earth is called the blue planet. When studied about or regarding the process of forming oceans or also from the formation of oceans on this earth. So this will be closely related to the process or origins of the formation of the earth.

The process of forming the earth's surface is explained using the theory of plate tectonics. The theory of plate tectonics occurs due to the nature of the layers of the earth's crust. This layer of the earth's crust is the outermost layer of the earth.

This layer tends to be dense and hard. The layer below is the asthenosphere layer which has viscous and clay properties. The layer that is deeper than the earth's layer has a higher temperature when compared to the layer above it.

The temperature of the hotter layer moves to a colder layer, so from there there will be a transfer of hot layers by convection. This is what causes the asthenosphere to move like the movement of boiling water. So that the layer of the earth's crust above it then fragments and forms plates.

The beginning of the oceans or also the seas on earth were formed from events that occurred around 4.4 billion years ago. At that time, there was a change in the shape of the earth's surface due to a volcanic eruption. As a result, the earth was covered with volcanic ash. Now, by the volcanic dust that coats the earth, it is what then blocks the light from entering the earth.

As a result of this incident, water vapor that accumulates in the atmosphere then condenses to form rain. Due to changes in the surface of the earth, rain fills the depressions in the earth so that from there the oceans are formed.

At first, the sea water has a very acidic nature with a temperature of about 100°C. This condition occurs because the earth is very hot and also the earth's atmosphere is covered in carbon dioxide (CO2). In addition, tsunami waves often occur due to the fall of asteroids to earth. This is also accompanied by tides that occur too quickly due to the distance between the earth and the moon which is too close.

Over time, the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere gradually decreased. This shrinkage occurs because carbon dioxide (CO2) dissolves in seawater and also reacts with carbonate ions to form calcium carbonate.

So that the sky begins to be brightly colored and sunlight can return to the earth and also the volume of sea water continues to decrease. The part of the earth that was initially submerged in water then began to dry up. Weathering of rocks that occur on the surface of the earth occurs continuously and is carried by the sea due to rainwater. This is what causes seawater to be salty.

Classification of 5 (Five) Oceans in the World

The ocean is a series of sea areas separated by land. 75% of the earth's surface consists of oceans. The oceans can be classified or divided into 5 names, namely:

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean when compared to other oceans. The area of ​​the Pacific Ocean covers half of the water area on earth with an area of ​​about 179,700,000 square kilometers.

The Pacific Ocean stretches from the northern hemisphere to the south, this is what causes the Pacific Ocean to be divided into two, namely the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean.

Below are the characteristics of the Pacific Ocean, including the following:

• Bounded by continents as well as islands.
• To the east it is bounded by the American continent (North America and South America).
• To the west lies the continent of Asia and the continent of Australia.
• To the north it is bordered by the Atktrik Ocean
• and to the south it is bordered by the Antarctic Ocean.
• In the Pacific Ocean region there are also more than 25,000 islands.
• The average depth of the oceans in the Pacific Ocean reaches 4,270 meters.
• The seas that enter the Pacific Ocean region are the Sulawesi Sea, the Sea of ​​Japan, the South China Sea, the Sulu Sea, the Tasmanian Sea and the Malacca Strait.
• The Pacific Ocean is traversed or passed by the young mountainous area of ​​the Pacific Circum.
• This Pacific Ocean region includes volcanic epicenters.

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean of the Pacific Ocean. The area of ​​the Atlantic Ocean is about 106,450,000 square kilometers. The Atlantic Ocean also spans the Northern Hemisphere as well as the Southern Hemisphere. The Atlantic Ocean connects the North Pole and the South Pole. The distinctive feature of the Atlantic Ocean is that if observed this ocean is similar to the letter S.

The characteristics of the Atlantic Ocean are as follows:

• To the east of the Atlantic Ocean lies the European continent and the African continent.
• To the west of the Atlantic Ocean lies North America and South America.
• In this Atlantic Ocean region there are also large (including Greenland) and small islands.
• The amount of flow that enters this ocean is greater when compared to other oceans.
• The average depth for the oceans in the Atlantic Ocean is about 3,332 meters.
• In the Atlantic Ocean you can find several ocean basins/basins.

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is an ocean that lies between the continents of Asia, the continents of Africa and also the continents of Australia. 20% of the earth's surface is covered by the Indian Ocean. The area of ​​the Indian Ocean is about 68,526,000 square kilometers.

Below are the characteristics of the Indian Ocean, including the following:

• It has an average ocean depth of about 3,690 meters.
• Many sea bottoms or basins are found.
• To the west is the island of Madagascar.
• To the east are the islands of Sumatra, Java and Nusa Tenggara.
• To the north are the islands of Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
• Floods often occur in Sri Lanka due to the influence of large waves that occur in the Indian Ocean.

Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean is the smallest ocean on earth. The area of ​​the Arctic Ocean is about 14,056,000 square kilometers. The Arctic Ocean spans the North Pole region.

Below are the characteristics of the arctic ocean, including the following:

• It is almost completely surrounded by land.
• There are many islands and archipelagos, such as Greenland Island, Victoria Island and so on.
• It is the shallowest ocean in depth.
• The seas in this arctic ocean region include the Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Greenland Sea and others.
• This arctic is an ocean that has a layer of ice. In the summer the ice in this area will crack and will be carried away by the currents in the sea, as a result of this it can endanger shipping activities. An example is the Titanic crash when it hit the ice.

Antarctic Ocean

The Antarctic Ocean is a previously unknown ocean. Generally people know the Antarctic ocean as land ice.

Below are the characteristics of the Antarctic Ocean, including the following:

• Has no clear boundaries. This causes the naming of the area to be combined with other oceans in the vicinity.
• This area is estimated to start from the coast of the continent of Antarctica up to the 60°S boundary encircling the entire continent of Antarctica.
• The area of ​​the Antarctic ocean is about 20,327,000 square kilometers.
• The sea is covered with ice all year round.
• Sailing across the ocean must use a special ship that can break the ice.

Thus the explanation about Ocean: Definition, Formation Process and Characteristics. Hopefully it can be useful and increase your knowledge. Thank You.