Oceanography Crossword Puzzle

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Across
  1. 3. zone (bathypelagic) 
Located below the twilight zone, from 1,000 to 4,000 meters deep. This zone is dark and cold, and is home to large animals like sperm whales and colossal squid.
  2. 5. zone (trenches) 
The deepest part of the ocean, located below the abyssal zone, from 6,000 to approximately 11,000 meters deep. The pressure in this zone is too high for most organisms to survive.
  3. 6. zone (mesopelagic) 
Located below the sunlight zone, from 200 to 1,000 meters deep. This zone has little to no light, making it difficult for photosynthesis to occur. Some animals in this zone, like bioluminescent fish, create their own light.
  4. 7. slope The seaward edge of the continental shelf, where the continental crust and oceanic crust meet. Continental slopes can range from 1–25 degrees in steepness.
  5. 9. rise A wide, gentle incline from the abyssal plain to the continental slope. Continental rises are made up of mud, sand, and silts, and can extend for hundreds of miles from continental margins.
  6. 10. zone (abyssopelagic) 
Located below the midnight zone, from 4,000 to 6,000 meters deep. No light penetrates this zone, so many deep sea animals create their own light to hunt, hide, or communicate.
Down
  1. 1. zone (epipelagic) The top layer of the ocean, extending from the surface to 200 meters (660 feet) deep. This zone is full of sunlight, which fuels photosynthesis and supports the majority of marine life.
  2. 2. trenches V-shaped depressions in the seafloor created by subduction, a process where two or more tectonic plates converge. The older, denser plate is forced beneath the lighter plate, causing the seafloor to bend. Trenches are often associated with volcanic activity.
  3. 3. ridges Formed at divergent plate boundaries, where new ocean floor is created as tectonic plates spread apart. Molten rock rises to the seafloor, causing massive volcanic eruptions of basalt.
  4. 4. shelf The shallowest part of the ocean, made up of land between continents and populated by seas and gulfs. The continental shelf ends at a steep slope called the shelf break.
  5. 8. plains Flat, gently sloping areas of the ocean basins that are the smoothest and flattest regions of the world. Abyssal plains are important to oceanic ecosystems because they store carbon in the seafloor sediments, which helps buffer against climate fluctuations.