Drivers of Seafloor Geomorphic Change

Abstract

Oceanic basins are shaped by a variety of natural drivers that impact the seafloor morphology at different scales, spanning from hundreds of kilometres for plate motions to decimetres for bio-constructions by benthic organisms. In the post-industrial period of the oceanic basin history, anthropic activity on the seabed has started to provide an additional morphologic imprint. Because oceanic basins are sinks for sediments produced on land, the majority of the seafloor morphology is produced by forces acting on sediments, resulting in sediment accumulation, transport, erosion and deformation. Plate tectonics forces are reflected dramatically in the morphology of areas of the oceans where the sedimentary cover is thin, or even absent, along the mid ocean ridges, and fracture zones. Chemical reactions in the oceanic subsurface induce mineral precipitation, dissolution or transformation that may also indirectly impact the seafloor.