The Morphostructure of the Atlantic Ocean Floor

Book excerpt: The study of the topography and structure of the ocean floor is one of the most important stages in ascertaining the geological structure and history of development of the Earth's oceanic crust. This, in its turn, provides a means for purposeful, scientifically-substantiated prospecting, exploration and development of the mineral resources of the ocean. The Atlantic Ocean has been geologically and geophysically studied to a great extent and many years of investigating its floor have revealed the laws governing the structure of the major forms of its submarine relief (e. g. , the continental shelf, the continental slope, the transition zones, the ocean bed, and the Mid-Oceanic Ridge). The basic features of the Earth's oceanic crust structure, anomalous geophysical fields, and the thickness and structure of its sedimentary cover have also been studied. Based on the investigations of the Atlantic Ocean floor and its surrounding continents, the presently prevalent concept of new global tectonics has appeared. A great number of works devoted to the results of geomorphological, geolog ical, and geophysical studies of the Atlantic Ocean floor have appeared. In the U. S. S. R. , such summarizing works as The Geomorphology of the Atlantic Ocean Floor [34], Types of Bottom Sediments of the Atlantic Ocean [24], The Geology of the Atlantic Ocean [38], and, somewhat earlier, Geophysical Studies of the Earth's Crust Structure in the Atlantic Ocean [13], have been published.