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ocean trenches and ridges click to hear : ocean trenches and ridges

Trench: very deep, elongated cavity bordering a continent or an island arc; it forms when one tectonic plate slides beneath another. Ridge: underwater mountain range that criss-crosses the oceans and is formed by rising magma in a zone where two plates are moving apart.
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See ocean trenches and ridges in : french | spanish
Mid-Indian Ridge Southwest Indian Ridge South America Puerto Rico Trench Peru-Chile Trench Pacific-Antarctic Ridge East Pacific Rise Aleutian Trench North America Africa Mid-Atlantic Ridge Europe Asia Ryukyu Trench Japan Trench Kuril Trench Mariana Trench Philippine Trench Kermadec-Tonga Trench Australia Southeast Indian Ridge Java Trench

Mid-Indian Ridge click to hear : Mid-Indian Ridge

Mountain range in the middle of the Indian Ocean that separates the African and Australian-Indian plates.

Southwest Indian Ridge click to hear : Southwest Indian Ridge

Ridge separating the African and Antarctic plates; it joins the Mid-Indian and Southeast Indian ridges off the coast of Madagascar.

South America click to hear : South America

Represents about 12% of the world’s land; its features include the Andes Cordillera in the west and the plains and plateaus of the central and eastern regions.

Puerto Rico Trench click to hear : Puerto Rico Trench

Trench located off the coast of Puerto Rico, on the boundary between the South American and Caribbean plates; it features the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean (8,400 meters).

Peru-Chile Trench click to hear : Peru-Chile Trench

Trench (8,000 meters) bordering South America; the world’s longest trench (5,900 km), it is located on the boundary between the Nazca Plate and the South American Plate.

Pacific-Antarctic Ridge click to hear : Pacific-Antarctic Ridge

Mountain range separating the Pacific and Antarctic plates; it joins the eastern Pacific Ridge off the coast of South America.

East Pacific Rise click to hear : East Pacific Rise

Ridge that marks the boundary between the Pacific and Cocos Islands plates to the north, and the Pacific and Nazca plates to the south.

Aleutian Trench click to hear : Aleutian Trench

Trench (7,800 meters) extending from Alaska to the Kamchatka Peninsula; it results from the Pacific Plate sliding beneath the North American Plate.

North America click to hear : North America

Its area (24 million km2) represents about 16% of the world’s land; the Central American isthmus is an extension of North America.

Africa click to hear : Africa

Continent that represents about 20% of the world’s land; two-thirds of its surface lies north of the Equator. Characterized by very hot climates, Mediterranean in the north and south, tropical and arid elsewhere.

Mid-Atlantic Ridge click to hear : Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Ridge about 11,300 km long, located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean; some of its mountains reach the surface, forming islands such as Iceland.

Europe click to hear : Europe

Western extremity of the vast Eurasian continent that, by convention, is separated from Asia by the Ural Mountains; it covers a relatively small area.

Asia click to hear : Asia

The largest and most populous continent, Asia represents 32% of the world’s land; it is dominated by imposing mountain ranges.

Ryukyu Trench click to hear : Ryukyu Trench

Trench (7,500 meters) located near the Ryukyu Islands; it marks the boundary between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate.

Japan Trench click to hear : Japan Trench

Trench (8,400 meters) located east of Japan, on the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the Eurasian Plate; this zone is marked by intense seismic activity.

Kuril Trench click to hear : Kuril Trench

Trench (10,500 meters) located northeast of Japan; it results from the Pacific Plate sliding beneath the Eurasian Plate.

Mariana Trench click to hear : Mariana Trench

Cavity located near the Mariana Islands, where the Pacific Plate and the Philippine Plate converge; it is the world’s deepest trench (about 11,000 meters).

Philippine Trench click to hear : Philippine Trench

Trench bordering the eastern Philippines, reaching depths of 10,500 meters; it results from the Philippine Plate sinking beneath the Eurasian Plate.

Kermadec-Tonga Trench click to hear : Kermadec-Tonga Trench

Cavity located north of New Zealand, where the Pacific Plate meets the Australian-Indian Plate; it reaches depths of 10,800 meters.

Australia click to hear : Australia

The world’s largest island (7.7 million km2) is sparsely inhabited in spite of its size; because of its isolation, Australia’s wildlife is unique.

Southeast Indian Ridge click to hear : Southeast Indian Ridge

Ridge separating the Antarctic Plate from the Australian-Indian Plate; its topography is more regular than the topography of the Southwest Indian and Mid-Indian ridges.

Java Trench click to hear : Java Trench

Trench located south of Indonesia, between the Australian-Indian and the Eurasian Plates; it is the deepest point in the Indian Ocean (7,400 m).