1. Down to Earth

2. The Restless Planet

3. Earth's Interior

4. The Sea Floor

5. The Birth of a Theory

6. Plate Dynamics

7. Mountain Building

8. Earth's Structures

9. Earthquakes

10. Geologic Time

11. Evolution Through Time

12. Minerals: The Materials of Earth

13. Volcanism

14. Intrusive Igneous Rocks

15. Weathering and Soils

16. Mass Wasting

17. Sedimentary Rocks: The Key to Past Environments

18. Metamorphic Rocks

19. Running Water I: Rivers, Erosion and Deposition

20. Running Water II: Landscape Evolution

21. Groundwater

22. Wind, Dust and Deserts

23. Glaciers

24. Waves, Beaches and Coasts

25. Living With Earth, Part I

26. Living With Earth, Part II

Episode 4. The Sea Floor

What are conditions like on the seafloor?

What is the main type of igneous rock found on the seafloor?

Describe the topography of the seafloor: shelf, slope, canyons, rise, and abyss.

What are terrigenous and pelagic sediments?

What do oceanic ridge systems represent?

What is found at the crest of the oceanic ridges?

Discuss the age of the ocean floor as it relates to the oceanic ridge systems.

What is seafloor spreading, and what does it do to the ocean floor?

What is subduction, and what does it do to the ocean floor?

Discuss methods used by marine geologists to study the seafloor.

What types of metallic resources can be found on the seafloor?

What conditions limit exploration and development of resources from the seafloor?

Describe the ecological environment found at hydrothermal vent sites.

Discuss pros and cons of the study, exploration, and development of the seafloor.

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