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Paleophysiography of Ocean Basins

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Encyclopedia of Marine Geosciences

Synonyms

Paleogeography of Ocean Basins

Definition

Plate motions and the history of plate boundary geometries through time are the primary drivers for the large-scale paleophysiography of the ocean basins. These in turn determine the history of seafloor spreading and subduction, driving the time dependence of the age-area distribution of ocean floor. The depth of the ocean floor and volume of the ocean basins are primarily dependent on its age. Reconstructions of the age and depth distribution of the ocean floor combined with estimates of sediment thickness through time and the reconstruction of oceanic plateaus yield broad-scale paleophysiographic maps of the ocean basins.

Introduction

The paleophysiography of the ocean basins relies on an understanding of the current physiography of the oceans and the processes governing its development through geological time. The most fundamental parameter driving the depth distribution of ocean basins is the age of the oceanic lithosphere. The...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. EarthByte Group, School of Geosciences, University of Sydney, Madsen Building F09, R. 406, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia

    R. Dietmar Müller & Maria Seton

Authors
  1. R. Dietmar Müller
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  2. Maria Seton
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Correspondence to R. Dietmar Müller .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland

    Jan Harff

  2. Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

    Martin Meschede

  3. Leibiniz Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany

    Sven Petersen

  4. Academy of Sciences, Humanities, and Lit c/o Helmholtz-Center for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany

    Jörn Thiede

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Müller, R.D., Seton, M. (2015). Paleophysiography of Ocean Basins. In: Harff, J., Meschede, M., Petersen, S., Thiede, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Marine Geosciences. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6644-0_84-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6644-0_84-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6644-0

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