|
Continents
, islands, and the Arctic
Ocean bound the Atlantic
Ocean to the north. In the
south, it is open to the waters that
surround the Antarctic
ice and land mass. The Atlantic
can be divided into two major units, -
the North and South Atlantic
Oceans. Both the North and South Atlantic
basins
are roughly bisected by the Mid-Atlantic
Ridge, where undersea volcanic
activity creates
new seafloor
. This seafloor
spreading pushes the older seafloor
from the ridge towards the continental
plates that flank the Atlantic
. The lightest blue color is the shallowest water, which lies
generally over the continental
shelves.
|
