Abyssal plains are broad expanses of sea floor lying between three and six kilometres below sea level. Abyssal plains are found in all the major oceans, and they extend from bordering continental rises to mid-oceanic ridges. Underlain by outward-spreading, new oceanic crust extruded from ridges,
abyssal plains are covered in deep-sea sediments derived from continental slopes and floating microscopic marine organisms. The plains often are interrupted by chains of volcanic islands where plates ride over hot spots in the mantle, and by sea mounts originally formed in oceanic ridge areas. Research Abyssal Plain
Abbreviations
SciTech
Research Abyssal Plain