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Shore
a strip of land that separates the coastal region from the ocean
Beach
an ever-changing place that extends underwater beyond the shore
Berm
the area where only the highest tides or storm waves can reach
Beach Face
the zone between the high and low tide shorelines
Longshore Sandbar
where large waves first break and drop any sand that they moved from deeper water
Longshore Trough
dug on the shore side of the longshore sandbar by the breaking action of large waves
Continental Shelf
the edge of the continent that gently slopes out
Continental Slope
the angle of the continental shelf extending to the bottom
Submarine Canyon
A carved out part of the continental slope carved by currents of water full of sediment
Continental Rise
a transition from the continental slope to the deep, relatively flat ocean floor
Abyssal Plain
the relatively flat, deep sea floor
Mid-Ocean Ridges
submerged mountain ranges at the margins of diverging tectonic plates
Seamounts
submerged volcanoes and hills
Guyots
a flat-topped seamount
Oceanic Trenches
deep, relatively narrow troughs in the ocean floor found in subduction zones adjacent to convergent plate boundaries
Island Arcs
long, curved strings of volcanic islands
Coral Reefs
important marine geologic features that form from the activities of animals
Fringing Reefs
coral reefs that grow right up to the beach along a coastline
Barrier Reefs
reefs that are farther away from the land and form lagoons between the reef and the land
Atoll
a ring of low coral islands and reefs surrounding a central lagoon