Depth distribution and bathymetric classification of some sea-floor profiles

Abstract

Fifteen east Pacific sea-floor profiles of 60 nautical miles length are analysed as to depth of the sea floor and the character of the hills. Mechanical energies of formation of some model hills are discussed. Several profiles have a Gaussian distribution of depths and others seem to have a large component that is Gaussian. Correlation related to repetition of sea-floor slopes along the individual profile is nil. Pigeonhole classification of the profiles on the basis of relief corresponds to geological environments. A rough equation of the number of hills ( N 0) of given height ( H) in a 60 nautical mile profile is: N 15= −9 15 log10 H+3 A rough equation of the number of hills in all fifteen profiles ( N 15) relative to their widths is: N 15=120 W −3 2 which implies that the smaller the hills, the more common they are at an exponential rate. Within their context, the statistical and physical characteristics of the profiles can be related to the geological composition of the sea floor and to some of the geological processes modifying the sea floor. The predictability of the characteristics encourages study of large-scale processes important in the evolution of the sea floor.