Figure 8.—Outline of submarine topography
Line 1, first-order features of the crust; line 2, major topographic features of the ocean; line 3, categories of provinces and super-provinces; line 4, provinces; line 5, sub-provinces and other important features.
CONTINENT AND OCEAN
The two first-order morphologic divisions of the earth's crust are continent and ocean. The oceans can be divided into a few major divisions which are in turn subdivided into categories of physiographic provinces and then into individual provinces. The area of the present study is composed of the three major divisions shown in Figure 9: continental margin, ocean-basin floor, and mid-oceanic ridge. The discussion and description of the physiographic provinces of the North Atlantic will follow the schematic outline shown in Figure 8.
Figure 9.—Major morphologic divisions: North Atlantic Ocean
The profile is a representative profile from New England to the Sahara Coast.