Escanaba Trough

Escanaba Trough is the only mid-ocean spreading center located within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. Hundreds of meters of continental sediment have accumulated in the trough, and the combination of sediments and hydrothermal fluids has resulted in a unique hydrothermal system and potentially extensive sulfide mineral precipitation.

0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Axial valley

A wide valley formed at the divergence of two lithospheric plates

B

Basaltic

Of basalt, a hard, dense, dark volcanic rock.

C

Chemosynthetic

Of an organism that metabolizes inorganic chemicals, typically in the absence of sunlight.

Continental margin

The offshore zone separating the dry-land portion of a continent from the deep ocean floor.

G

Geochemistry

A branch of geology that applies chemical principles to better understand Earth systems and systems of other planets

Geomorphology

The study of landforms and landform evolution on Earth's surface

H

Hydrothermal

Relating to heated water in the earth's crust, found where magma is near the surface and often containing dissolved minerals

I

Igneous

A type of rock that solidified from lava or magma.

Intrusion

The forcing of molten rock into fissures or between layers of an earlier rock formation.

L

Laccolith

A mass of igneous rock, typically lens-shaped, that has been intruded between rock layers, causing uplift in the shape of a dome.

M

Mineral precipitation

The process in which dissolved minerals are freed from water, forming a deposit.

Multibeam

An offshore surveying tool that uses multiple sound signals to detect the seafloor.

P

Polymetallic

A substance containing several metals.

S

Sill

A tabular sheet of igneous rock intruded between and parallel with an existing layer of rock.

Spreading center

A linear boundary between two diverging lithospheric plates on the ocean floor, where new seafloor is formed

T

Turbidity current

A density-driven flow of sediment-loaded water.