The Pacific Ocean is the very embodiment of the sea element on our luxurious planet. This huge natural formation creates the weather of all continents to a greater or lesser extent. Its waves are beautiful in their power and indomitability.

As we probably already know, the Pacific is the largest ocean on the planet. Its name was obtained as a result of the incredible luck of that team of sailors, to whom it seemed peaceful and calm. The second, frequently encountered one is the Great. And this is truly so.

The faces of this element are multifaceted. The science of geography has collected a lot of data over the centuries, which the Pacific Ocean has revealed to researchers. Geographical location, area, communication with other oceans of the Earth, washed continents - all this interests us within the framework of this travel article.

"The very best" Pacific Ocean

Besides interesting story When the ocean in question received its name, it earned a number of distinctions as “the very best.” They relate mainly to its geographical features. But just in terms of peace and quiet, the opposite is true - this ocean is the most stormy and unpredictable. Now consider the geographical location and area of ​​the Pacific Ocean.

As we have already mentioned, the Pacific Ocean is the largest in area among all the oceans. It is 178.7 million km 2. Moreover, it is the deepest. Within its borders is the Mariana Trench, which is more than 11 kilometers below sea level!

The enormous size of the ocean contributed to his other records. On the surface of the water it is the warmest of all. Its expanses are rich in hurricanes and tsunamis. The highest waves were also recorded in the Pacific Ocean.

Position relative to the equator

As we know, one of the basic characteristics of the geographical location of objects is their location relative to the Earth's equator. Let us also consider the geographical position of the Pacific Ocean relative to the equator.

So, the object of our consideration extends both to the north and to the south. A somewhat large part of it, however, belongs to the south.

Length

As for the outlines of the ocean, it is distinguished by its elongation from northwest to southeast. At its widest point, from west to east it has 19 thousand kilometers, from north to south - 16 thousand. Its enormous size contributed to the diversity of conditions within its boundaries. According to many criteria, he was lucky enough to become “the very best”; according to others, he was the only one.

To understand the impressiveness of the expanses of the Pacific Ocean on a planetary scale, let us present the following comparison. The territory of all taken together will be smaller than this ocean. The width of the Pacific Ocean in tropical latitudes has contributed to the fact that it is the second warmest (Indian is in first place).

One can only be amazed at the diversity of natural conditions within the Pacific expanses. The Pacific Ocean opened up a little more for us: the geographical location and features of the territory.

Washed continents

The waters of the Pacific Ocean wash all the continents of the planet except Africa. That is, Asia, Australia, North and South America, as well as Antarctica have access to its stormy waves. By the way, the influence of the latter’s cold fronts through the Pacific Ocean spreads almost throughout the entire Earth.

But because communication with the cold Arctic Ocean is cut off by land areas, the Pacific Ocean does not accept cold air masses. As a result, the southern part of the ocean is colder than the northern part.

Communication with other oceans

There is much less doubt about the boundaries of the land than there is with the oceans. The boundaries of the connected oceans of the Earth are very arbitrary. The Pacific Ocean, whose geographical location we are considering, also has the same feature.

Thus, the dividing line between the Pacific and the Arctic can be most clearly defined: Alaska is it. Communication with the Atlantic occurs through the very wide Drake Passage.

The boundaries of the Pacific and Indian oceans are conventional. Between the continents of Australia and Antarctica they pass along the meridian, starting from Cape South on the island of Tasmania.

The nature of boundaries

In geographical research we are also interested in the nature of the coastline of that part of the land with which the ocean borders.

Thus, on the eastern side, the coastlines are simple, less indented by inflows of water, and the territories are less saturated with island massifs. The western part, on the contrary: there are many islands and archipelagos, seas, and peninsular parts of the land.

Even the nature of the bottom in the western part is appropriate: with strong differences in depth.

Separately, we can consider such an issue as the geographical location of the Pacific Ocean. As we said, there are more of them in the western part. By type, these are adjacent to Eurasia and Australia. The interisland seas belong to the Australasian group.

Off the coast of Antarctica there are little-known seas: Ross, Bellingshausen and Amundsen.

Seismic features

Earth forces are vigorously active in the Pacific Ocean. Its borders are outlined by the “ring of fire” - seismically active zones with many active volcanoes. The area and geographical position of the Pacific Ocean coincided with the moving tectonic plates of the earth's crust

Due to the high seismic activity of the Pacific Ocean, tsunamis and earthquakes are so frequent here.

Conclusion

In our article, we made an attempt to embark on a short journey across the expanses of the Pacific Ocean - perhaps the most impressive nature education on the planet. Among its stormy waters there are so many interesting things that the imagination itself draws visual pictures.

We have looked briefly, only to the extent that it is possible to interest the reader or satisfy general educational curiosity.

Let's remember the main thing:

• The Pacific Ocean is the largest on the planet: its area is 178.7 million km 2.
• Almost every question on the plan “Which of the oceans is the most...?” You can answer that Quiet, while justifying your answer. Indeed: in its vastness, almost all records that can be attributed to the ocean as a natural form have been broken.
• The ocean is located on both sides of the Earth's equator, mostly in the southern hemisphere.
• It borders on all the oceans of the planet, as well as on all continents except Africa.
• The most diverse in natural conditions.
• High seismic activity leads to frequent tsunamis and earthquakes.

This is the Great Pacific Ocean, the geographical location of which we have examined. And may we dream of a warm shore and gentle waves after receiving new information!

The Great, or Pacific, Ocean is the greatest ocean on Earth. It accounts for about half (49%) of the area and more than half (53%) of the volume of the waters of the World Ocean, and its surface area is equal to almost a third of the entire surface of the Earth as a whole. In terms of the number (about 10 thousand) and total area (more than 3.5 million km2) of islands, it ranks first among the other oceans of the Earth.

In the northwest and west, the Pacific Ocean is limited by the shores of Eurasia and Australia, in the northeast and east - by the shores of North and South America. The border with the Arctic Ocean is drawn through the Bering Strait along the Arctic Circle. The southern border of the Pacific Ocean (as well as the Atlantic and Indian) is considered to be the northern coast of Antarctica. When distinguishing the Southern (Antarctic) Ocean, its northern boundary is drawn along the waters of the World Ocean, depending on the change in the regime of surface waters from temperate latitudes to Antarctic latitudes. It runs approximately between 48 and 60° S. (Fig. 3).

Rice. 3. Ocean boundaries

The boundaries with other oceans south of Australia and South America are also drawn conditionally along the water surface: with the Indian Ocean - from Cape South East Point at approximately 147° E, with the Atlantic Ocean - from Cape Horn to the Antarctic Peninsula. In addition to wide connections with other oceans in the south, there is communication between the Pacific and northern Indian Oceans through the interisland seas and the straits of the Sunda archipelago.

The area of ​​the Pacific Ocean from the Bering Strait to the shores of Antarctica is 178 million km2, the volume of water is 710 million km3.

The northern and western (Eurasian) shores of the Pacific Ocean are dissected by seas (more than 20 of them), bays and straits, separating large peninsulas, islands and entire archipelagos of continental and volcanic origin. Coast of Eastern Australia, southern part North America and especially South America, as a rule, are straightforward and difficult to access from the ocean. With a huge surface area and linear dimensions (more than 19 thousand km from west to east and about 16 thousand km from north to south), the Pacific Ocean is characterized by weak development of the continental margins (only 10% of the bottom area) and a relatively small number of shelf seas.

Within the intertropical space, the Pacific Ocean is characterized by clusters of volcanic and coral islands.

The Pacific Ocean extends over a huge area and is the deepest. It washes almost all the continents of the globe with the exception of Africa.

In addition, it has enormous historical and economic significance.

This topic is studied at school during geography lessons in the 7th grade or earlier and is sure to appear in exam tests. Therefore, let us once again remember all the main things that characterize the Pacific Ocean.

History of the study

It is believed that the conqueror Nunez de Balboa, who was the first to see the shore, discovered the Pacific Ocean. The first trips across the waters were carried out on rafts and canoes. Researchers on the Kon-Tiki raft even managed to cross uncharted waters.

It is interesting to know why the Pacific Ocean was called the Pacific Ocean. During Ferdinand Magellan's voyage through its waters, not a single storm occurred in just under 4 months; the water surface was absolutely calm throughout the journey.

In honor of this, the name appeared, translated into English as Pacific ocean.

Characteristics of the largest ocean

The area of ​​the Pacific Ocean is 178.68 million km², it includes 28 seas, including the Yellow, Bering, and Okhotsk seas.

Surprisingly, it occupies almost half the area of ​​the entire World Ocean (49.5%), exceeding half the volume of all water on Earth by 3%, which is why it is deservedly considered the largest.

In the Pacific Ocean there is the Mariana Trench, which has the maximum depth among the known ones - 11022 m. The average depth is 3984 m.

Salinity of water in middle lane varies from 34 to 36%, in the north it can reach 1%.

Geographical position

The Pacific Ocean occupies 1/3 of the globe. From the east it washes South and North America (their western coasts), from the west it touches the eastern coasts of Eurasia, Australia and Antarctica.

The border with the Arctic Ocean is determined only by the Bering Strait, which runs between the shores of Eurasia and North America.

Currents

There are 7 cold currents in the Pacific Ocean, the main ones being: the South Passat Current, the North Pacific Current, the Cromwell Current, the Alaskan Countercurrent and the Intertrade Current. There are only 3 warm ones: Californian, Peruvian and western winds.

Pacific Currents

In the Eurasian region, monsoons blow on coastal areas, especially in summer time. At the equator, trade winds actively influence the sea current.

In the west of the equator it falls a large number of precipitation, on average 1500-2500 mm. In the east, precipitation is extremely rare and insignificant.

Seas

The area of ​​the seas included in it is almost 20% of the total.

Bering Sea

It includes 27 seas, most of which are located along the coast of Eurasia.

coral sea

The greatest historical and economic importance are: Bering, Coral, Japanese, Okhotsk, Tasman and Philippine.

Climate and climate zones

Because of large area The Pacific Ocean is located in all climate zones. At the equator, the temperature can reach 24 0 C, while off the coast of Antarctica it drops to 0 and deforms into ice.

In the southern hemisphere, trade winds have a strong influence - winds that, in these climatic conditions, cause a huge number of typhoons and tsunamis.

Inhabitants of the Pacific Ocean

There are about 4,000 species of fish in the Pacific Ocean.

The list below briefly summarizes the most famous and abundant species found there:

It is believed that the largest ocean has the richest aquatic flora and fauna. This was influenced not only by its length across all climatic zones, but by the varied bottom topography and favorable temperature.

Islands and peninsulas

Most of the islands were formed due to volcanic eruptions and shifting tectonic plates.

New Guinea Islands

In total, there are more than ten thousand islands in the ocean waters, among which the second largest island is. New Guinea - 829,000 km², in third place. Kalimantan - 736,000 km², is also home to the largest group of islands - the Greater Sunda Islands.

Solomon islands

Of the most famous islands there are: Kuril, Philippine, Solomon, Galapagos.

Peninsula California

Among the single ones we can highlight Sakhalin, Taiwan, Sumatra. California, Alaska, Kamchatka and Indochina are peninsulas that are washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Bays

The ocean has only 3 large bays, 2 are located in the north (Shelikhova, Alaska).

Shelikhov Bay - a bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk between the coast of Asia and the base of the Kamchatka Peninsula

Shelikhov Bay is part of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk; there are several large ports in the Gulf of Alaska.

Gulf of California

The Gulf of California washes the shores of the California Peninsula and contains 2 large islands.

Features of nature

The main natural features and characteristics of the ocean are its area and depth.

The Pacific Ring of Fire is one of the most active seismic zones in the earth's crust. It got its name from the fact that a long chain of volcanoes stretches along the entire Pacific coast.

Its waters contain extremely rare a natural phenomenon- Fire ball. Huge reserves of heat are hidden in the depths, thanks to which the richest flora and fauna appeared.

Bottom relief

The ocean floor is home to many volcanoes of varying sizes, some of which are still active. Also there you can find underwater basins (sometimes quite large), which are also called pools, as they resemble them in structure.

Relief of the Pacific Ocean floor

One more characteristic feature The bottom topography can be called depressions, sometimes reaching several tens of meters in depth. At much greater depths, flat seamounts are found in abundance.

The bottom topography is also different in that it is subject to constant changes occurring due to the shift of tectonic plates and the eruption of underwater volcanoes.

Coastline

The coastline is slightly indented; it includes only 3 large bays and several peninsulas.

For the most part, the coastline on the North and South America side is flat, but it is inconvenient for navigation.

Mountain ranges occupy a significant part of the coast, while there are very few naturally formed bays and harbors.

Minerals

In the depths of the ocean, according to scientists, there is about 1/3 of the world's oil reserves, in fact, that is why active production of it, as well as gas, is carried out there. The shelves are rich in various minerals, ore, copper and nickel sources (reserves are approximately equal to several billion tons). Recently an abundant source was found

natural gases

, from which mining is already underway.

The most interesting of them:

Environmental problems of the Pacific Ocean

For many years, people have been using up the rich resources of the Pacific Ocean, which has led to their significant impoverishment.

And numerous trade routes and mining affected the environment and caused severe water pollution, which also had a detrimental effect on flora and fauna.

Economic importance

Conclusion

More than half of the world's catch comes from the Pacific Ocean. Not surprisingly, most transport routes also run through the territory of its waters. Transport routes not only carry passengers, but also transport minerals and resources (industrial, food). The Pacific Ocean is a huge source

natural resources

In the northwest and west, the Pacific Ocean is limited by the shores of Eurasia and Australia, in the northeast and east by the shores of North and South America. The border with the Arctic Ocean is drawn through the Bering Strait along the Arctic Circle. The southern border of the Pacific Ocean (as well as the Atlantic and Indian) is considered to be the northern coast of Antarctica. When distinguishing the Southern (Antarctic) Ocean, its northern boundary is drawn along the waters of the World Ocean, depending on the change in the regime of surface waters from temperate latitudes to Antarctic latitudes. It runs approximately between 48 and 60° S. (Fig. 3).

Rice. 3.

The boundaries with other oceans south of Australia and South America are also drawn conditionally along the water surface: with the Indian Ocean - from Cape South East Point at approximately 147° E, with the Atlantic Ocean - from Cape Horn to the Antarctic Peninsula. In addition to wide connections with other oceans in the south, there is communication between the Pacific and northern Indian Oceans through the interisland seas and the straits of the Sunda archipelago.

The area of ​​the Pacific Ocean from the Bering Strait to the shores of Antarctica is 178 million km 2 , the volume of water is 710 million km 3 .

The northern and western (Eurasian) shores of the Pacific Ocean are dissected by seas (more than 20 of them), bays and straits, separating large peninsulas, islands and entire archipelagos of continental and volcanic origin. The coasts of Eastern Australia, southern North America, and especially South America are generally straightforward and inaccessible from the ocean. With a huge surface area and linear dimensions (more than 19 thousand km from west to east and about 16 thousand km from north to south), the Pacific Ocean is characterized by weak development of the continental margins (only 10% of the bottom area) and a relatively small number of shelf seas.

Within the intertropical space, the Pacific Ocean is characterized by clusters of volcanic and coral islands.

Ocean floor, mid-ocean ridges and transition zones

There are still different points of view on the question of the time of formation of the Pacific Ocean in its modern form, but, obviously, by the end of the Paleozoic era, a vast body of water already existed in the place of its basin, as well as the ancient continent of Pangea, located approximately symmetrically with respect to the equator. At the same time, the formation of the future Tethys Ocean began in the form of a huge bay, the development of which and the invasion of Pangea subsequently led to its disintegration and the formation of modern continents and oceans.

The bed of the modern Pacific Ocean is formed by a system of lithospheric plates, bounded on the ocean side by mid-ocean ridges, which are part of the global system of mid-ocean ridges of the World Ocean. These are the East Pacific Rise and the South Pacific Ridge, which, reaching a width of up to 2 thousand km in places, connect with each other in the southern part of the ocean and continue westward into the Indian Ocean. The East Pacific Ridge, extending northeast to the coast of North America, in the Gulf of California region, connects with the system of continental rift faults of the California Valley, the Yosemite Trench and the San Andreas Fault. The middle ridges of the Pacific Ocean themselves, unlike the ridges of other oceans, do not have a clearly defined axial rift zone, but are characterized by intense seismicity and volcanism with a predominance of emissions of ultrabasic rocks, i.e., they have the features of a zone of intensive renewal of the oceanic lithosphere. Throughout the entire length, the middle ridges and adjacent plate sections are intersected by deep transverse faults, which are also characterized by the development of modern and, especially, ancient intraplate volcanism. Located between the median ridges and limited by deep-sea trenches and transition zones, the vast floor of the Pacific Ocean has a complexly dissected surface, consisting of a large number of basins with a depth of 5000 to 7000 m or more, the bottom of which is composed of oceanic crust covered with deep-sea clays, limestones and silts of organic origin. . The bottom topography of the basins is mostly hilly. The deepest basins (about 7000 m or more): Central, Western Mariana, Philippine, Southern, Northeastern, East Carolinian.

The basins are separated from each other or crossed by arched rises or blocky ridges on which volcanic structures are planted, within the intertropical space often crowned with coral structures. Their tops protrude above the water in the form of small islands, often grouped into linearly elongated archipelagos. Some of them are still active volcanoes, spewing streams of basaltic lava. But for the most part these are already extinct volcanoes, built on with coral reefs. Some of these volcanic mountains are located at a depth of 200 to 2000 m. Their peaks are leveled by abrasion; the position deep under water is obviously associated with the lowering of the bottom. Formations of this type are called guyots.

Of particular interest among the archipelagos of the central Pacific Ocean are the Hawaiian Islands. They form a chain 2,500 km long, stretching north and south of the Tropic of the North, and are the tops of huge volcanic massifs rising from the ocean floor along a powerful deep fault. Their apparent height is from 1000 to 4200 m, and their underwater height is approximately 5000 m. According to their origin, internal structure And appearance The Hawaiian Islands are a typical example of oceanic intraplate volcanism.

The Hawaiian Islands are the northern edge of a huge central Pacific island group collectively known as Polynesia. The continuation of this group to approximately 10° S. are the islands of Central and Southern Polynesia (Samoa, Cook, Society, Tabuai, Marquesas, etc.). These archipelagos, as a rule, extend from northwest to southeast, along transform fault lines. Most of them are of volcanic origin and are composed of strata of basaltic lava. Some are topped with wide and gently sloping volcanic cones 1000-2000 m high. The smallest islands in most cases are coral structures. Similar features have numerous clusters of small islands located mainly north of the equator, in the western part of the Pacific lithospheric plate: the Mariana, Caroline, Marshall and Palau Islands, as well as the Gilbert Archipelago, which partially extends into the southern hemisphere. These groups of small islands are collectively called Micronesia. All of them are of coral or volcanic origin, mountainous and rise hundreds of meters above sea level. The coasts are surrounded by surface and underwater coral reefs, making navigation very difficult. Many small islands are atolls. Near some islands there are deep-sea ocean trenches, and to the west of the Mariana Archipelago there is a deep-sea trench of the same name, belonging to the transition zone between the ocean and the Eurasian continent.

In the part of the Pacific Ocean bed adjacent to the American continents, small single volcanic islands are usually scattered: Juan Fernandez, Cocos, Easter, etc. The largest and most interesting group are the Galapagos Islands, located near the equator near the coast of South America. This is an archipelago of 16 large and many small volcanic islands with the peaks of extinct and active volcanoes up to 1700 m high.

Transition zones from the ocean to the continents differ in the structure of the ocean floor and the characteristics of tectonic processes both in the geological past and at the present time. They surround the Pacific Ocean in the west, north and east. In different parts of the ocean, the processes of formation of these zones proceed differently and lead to different results, but everywhere they are distinguished by great activity both in the geological past and at the present time.

On the side of the ocean floor, transition zones are limited by arcs of deep-sea trenches, in the direction of which lithospheric plates move and the oceanic lithosphere subsides under the continents. Within the transition zones, the structure of the ocean floor and marginal seas is dominated by transitional types of the earth's crust, and oceanic types of volcanism are replaced by mixed effusive-explosive volcanism of subduction zones. Here we are talking about the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” which encircles the Pacific Ocean and is characterized by high seismicity, numerous manifestations of paleovolcanism and volcanogenic landforms, as well as the existence within its boundaries of more than 75% of the planet’s currently active volcanoes. This is mainly mixed effusive-explosive volcanism of intermediate composition.

All the typical features of the transition zone are most clearly expressed within the northern and western margins of the Pacific Ocean, that is, off the coast of Alaska, Eurasia and Australia. This wide band between the ocean bed and the land, including the underwater margins of the continents, is unique in the complexity of its structure and in the relationship between the land and the water area; it is distinguished by significant fluctuations in depths and heights, and the intensity of processes occurring both deep in the earth’s crust and on the water surface.

The outer edge of the transition zone in the north Pacific Ocean is formed by the Aleutian deep-sea trench, extending 4000 km in a convex arc to the south from the Gulf of Alaska to the shores of the Kamchatka Peninsula, with a maximum depth of 7855 m. This trench, towards which the movement of lithospheric plates of the northern part of the Pacific Ocean is directed, from the rear it borders the underwater foot of the Aleutian island chain, most of them are volcanoes of the explosive-effusive type. About 25 of them are active.

A continuation of this zone off the coast of Eurasia is a system of deep-sea trenches, with which are connected the deepest parts of the World Ocean and, at the same time, areas of the most complete and diverse manifestation of volcanism, both ancient and modern, both on island arcs and on the outskirts of the continent. In the rear of the Kuril-Kamchatka deep-sea trench (maximum depth over 9700 m) there is the Kamchatka Peninsula with its 160 volcanoes, of which 28 are active, and the arc of the volcanic Kuril Islands with 40 active volcanoes. The Kuril Islands are the peaks of an underwater mountain range that rises above the bottom of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk by 2000-3000 m, and the maximum depth of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, which runs from the Pacific Ocean, exceeds 10,500 m.

The system of deep-sea trenches continues to the south with the Japan Trench, and the volcanogenic zone continues with the extinct and active volcanoes of the Japanese Islands. The entire system of trenches, as well as island arcs, starting from the Kamchatka Peninsula, separates the shallow shelf Seas of Okhotsk and East China from the Eurasian continent, as well as the Sea of ​​Japan depression located between them with a maximum depth of 3720 m.

Near the southern part of the Japanese Islands, the transition zone expands and becomes more complex, the strip of deep-sea trenches is divided into two branches, bordering on both sides the vast Philippine Sea, the depression of which has a complex structure and a maximum depth of more than 7000 m. From the Pacific Ocean it is limited by the Mariana Trench with its maximum depth World ocean 11,022 m and the arc of the Mariana Islands. The internal branch, limiting the Philippine Sea from the west, is formed by the trench and the Ryukyu Islands and continues further with the Philippine trench and the arc of the Philippine Islands. The Philippine Trench stretches along the foot of the islands of the same name for more than 1,300 km and has a maximum depth of 10,265 m. There are ten active and many extinct volcanoes on the islands. Between the island arcs and Southeast Asia, within the continental shelf, lie the East China Sea and most of the South China Sea (the largest in the region). Only the eastern part of the South China Sea and the interisland seas of the Malay Archipelago reach depths of over 5000 m, and their base is a transitional crust.

Along the equator, the transition zone within the Sunda archipelago and its island seas continues towards the Indian Ocean. There are a total of 500 volcanoes on the Indonesian islands, of which 170 are active.

The southern region of the Pacific Ocean transition zone northeast of Australia is particularly complex. It extends from Kalimantan to New Guinea and further south to 20° S, bordering the Sokhul-Queensland shelf of Australia to the north. This entire section of the transition zone is a complex combination of deep-sea trenches with depths of 6000 m or more, submarine ridges and island arcs, separated by basins or areas of shallow water.

Off the eastern coast of Australia, between New Guinea and New Caledonia, is the Coral Sea. From the east it is limited by a system of deep-sea trenches and island arcs (New Hebrides, etc.). The depths of the Coral basin and other seas of this transitional region (the Fiji Sea and especially the Tasman Sea) reach 5000-9000 m, their bottom is composed of oceanic or transitional type crust.

The hydrological regime of the northern part of this area favors the development of corals, which are especially common in the Coral Sea. On the Australian side, it is limited by a unique natural structure - the Great Barrier Reef, which stretches along the continental shelf for 2,300 km and reaches a width of 150 km in the southern part. It consists of individual islands and entire archipelagos, made of coral limestone and surrounded by underwater reefs of living and dead coral polyps. Narrow channels crossing the Great Barrier Reef lead to the so-called Great Lagoon, the depth of which does not exceed 50 m.

From the side of the Southern Basin of the ocean floor between the islands of Fiji and Samoa, the second arc of trenches, external to the ocean, extends to the southwest: Tonga (its depth of 10,882 m is the maximum depth of the World Ocean in the southern hemisphere) and its continuation Kermadec, maximum depth which also exceeds 10 thousand m. On the Fiji sea side, the Tonga and Kermadec trenches are limited by underwater ridges and arcs of the islands of the same name. In total, they stretch 2000 km to the North Island of New Zealand. The archipelago rises above the underwater plateau that serves as its pedestal. This is a special type of structure of the underwater margins of continents and transition zones, called microcontinents. They vary in size and are uplifts composed of continental crust, topped with islands and surrounded on all sides by basins with oceanic-type crust within the World Ocean.

The transition zone of the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean, facing the continents of North and South America, differs significantly from its western margin. There are no marginal seas or island arcs. A strip of narrow shelf with mainland islands stretches from the south of Alaska to Central America. Along the western coast of Central America, as well as from the equator along the outskirts of South America, there is a system of deep-sea trenches - Central American, Peruvian and Chilean (Atacama) with maximum depths of more than 6000 and 8000 m, respectively. Obviously, the process of formation of this part of the ocean and neighboring continents took place during the interaction of deep-sea trenches that existed at that time and continental lithospheric plates. North America moved onto the trenches along its path to the west and closed them, and the South American Plate moved the Atacama Trench to the west. In both cases, as a result of the interaction of oceanic and continental structures, folding occurred, the marginal parts of both continents were uplifted, and powerful suture zones were formed - the North American Cordillera and the Andes of South America. Each of these structural zones is characterized by intense seismicity and the manifestation of mixed types of volcanism. O.K. Leontiev considered it possible to compare them with the underwater ridges of the island arcs of the western transition zone of the Pacific Ocean.

Pacific Ocean also called the Great, because it is the largest on the planet. The ocean covers almost the same area as all other oceans combined (Fig. 17). Its area - 178.6 million km 2 - would freely accommodate all the continents and at the same time there would be room for one more Africa.

Northern Pacific Ocean border conditionally drawn through the Bering Strait from the coast of Eurasia to the coast of North America. In the south, the ocean washes the coast of Australia and reaches the shores of Antarctica. Here its boundaries are drawn conditionally, along the meridians. The Pacific Ocean lies in almost all geographical zones of the Earth, with the exception of the Arctic.

The central regions of the ocean lie in the equatorial belt, and the equator itself divides the ocean into approximately two equal parts. Therefore, north and south of the equator, the nature of the Pacific Ocean is similar. At the same time, in the western and eastern parts of the same geographical zone, the nature of the ocean is noticeably different (Fig. 18). These differences are due, in particular, to sea currents.

Differences in nature Western and eastern parts oceans are also determined by the outlines of the coastlines of the continents. In Eurasia it is very dissected and has numerous bays, islands and marginal seas. These bays and seas often cut deep into the land. Therefore, the western part of the Pacific Ocean is more influenced by continents than the eastern part.

The Pacific Ocean washes the coasts of Eurasia, Australia, North and South America. And although they are located at a distance of many thousands of kilometers from each other, the waters of the Pacific Ocean not only separate continents and states, but also connect them. After all, the most important transport routes connecting the countries of Asia, Australia and America lie across the ocean. Material from the site

The diversity of the nature of the Pacific Ocean is primarily due to its geographical location.

On this page there is material on the following topics:

• A message about the Pacific Ocean briefly, grade 2

• Position of the Pacific Ocean in relation to other oceans

• Geographical location of the Pacific Ocean message

• The position of the ocean in relation to the continents

• Pacific Ocean Report for Grade 2

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