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Difficulty: EasyPhysical Geography of the World

Physical geography encompasses the study of major relief features of the Earth's ocean floors and coastal landforms. Which of the following statements regarding ocean floor topography and marine relief features are correct?

  1. Continental shelves are gentle seaward-sloping platforms extending from the coast to the continental slope.Answer
  2. Deep ocean trenches are long, narrow depressions that typically form along convergent plate boundaries.Answer
  3. C
    Abyssal plains cover a much smaller total surface area of the ocean floor than continental shelves.
  4. D
    Mid-ocean ridges are formed exclusively by the deposition of river sediments carried into ocean basins.

Answer

The correct statements are that continental shelves are gentle seaward-sloping coastal platforms and that deep ocean trenches form along convergent plate boundaries.
The statements defining continental shelves as gently sloping coastal margins and ocean trenches as tectonic features along convergent boundaries are geographically and geologically accurate.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Evaluate continental shelf topography
Continental shelves extend gently from continental margins into oceanic waters, making this statement correct.
They are the submerged extensions of continents characterized by shallow water depths.
2
Evaluate ocean trench formation mechanism
Subduction at convergent tectonic boundaries forms deep ocean trenches, making this statement correct.
Trench formation is directly tied to plate tectonic subduction zones.
3
Analyze ocean floor area distributions and mid-ocean ridge origins
Abyssal plains form the vast majority of oceanic basins and mid-ocean ridges are volcanic features, making the remaining statements incorrect.
Continental shelves occupy only about 7-8% of the ocean floor, while abyssal plains constitute the largest oceanic division.

Key Concept

Major Ocean Floor Relief Features
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Topics

Physical Geography of the World

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