Did you know that three fifths of the Earth’s surface is under the ocean? That’s right, and the ocean floor is as rich in detail as the land surface, and that’s why NASA created an animation that simulates a gradual drop in sea level to reveal these rarely seen details. As you’re about to observe, once the sea level drops, the continental shelves appear immediately. Read more for the animation and additional information.
The continental shelves are mostly visible by a depth of 140 meters, except for the Arctic and Antarctic regions, where they’re deeper. The mid-ocean ridges start to appear at a depth of 2000 to 3000 meters, and by 6000 meters, most of the ocean is drained except for the deep trenches, the deepest of which is the Marianas Trench at a depth of 10,911 meters.
- Story by world-renowned adventure photographer, Chris Burkard
- Artwork by David McClellan
- 48 pages, hard cover, with soft-touch dust jacket
