What is the Ocean floor like ?
The ocean ground is some distance from flat. The edges of islands and continents gently slope into the surrounding water to shape an area called a continental shelf that is higher than rest of the ocean floor. A continental shelf usually extends about 75 kilometres (47 miles) out to sea however some, like the Siberian shelf in the Arctic Ocean, can prolong up to 1,500 kilometres (932 miles). The continental shelf contains large deposits of petroleum, natural gas and minerals. It also receives the most sunlight, so marine lifestyles flourishes here. The point where the continental shelf starts to plunge steeply in the direction of the deep ocean floor is referred to as the continental slope. It is here that the deep canyons of the ocean are found.
