Seafloor & Below

Beneath the waves lies a vast, dynamic world that shapes the ocean from the bottom up. The seafloor is not a flat expanse of mud, but a complex and geologically active landscape comprising towering mountains, deep trenches, erupting volcanoes, and vast underwater plains.

At mid-ocean ridges, tectonic plates pull apart and give rise to new seafloor through volcanic activity. These spreading centers are also home to hydrothermal vents — cracks in the Earth’s crust where hot, mineral-rich fluids gush into the ocean, supporting unique ecosystems that thrive without sunlight. In contrast, ocean trenches occur areas where tectonic plates collide, driving one plate deep beneath another in dramatic, deep-sea subduction zones.

Seamounts — underwater mountains that rise from the seafloor — are often biological hotspots that provide habitat for marine life. Natural oil that seeps from cracks in the seabed offers clues about Earth’s geologic processes.

Studying the seafloor helps scientists understand how Earth’s core, the ocean, and life on our planet are connected to each other.