Ocean Formation Climate Life in the Ocean INDEX CREDITS FORMATION How Did the Oceans Form? Article for grades 9 through 12 Seventy percent of the Earth’s surface is covered with water. Where did it come from? Why has it persisted? For answers to these questions, you need to go back to the planet's beginnings. Webpage More about this Resource How Does the Ocean Floor Get Its Shape? Article for grades 9 through 12 What powers the floating layers of rock that form the "solid" ground underneath our feet and under the ocean? Examine the process of convection and the sculpting of Earth's surface. Webpage More about this Resource Video Gallery: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Article for grades 6 through 12 What's it like to climb into a deep submergence vehicle and descend to the ocean floor? See for yourself with this video look, narrated by a scientist who has made more than 30 trips. Webpage More about this Resource Searching the Ocean for Deep Sea Vents Article for grades 6 through 12 Scientists don't have to scour every inch of ocean floor to locate deep sea vents, but that doesn't mean the process is fast or easy. Learn more about these researchers' painstaking work. Webpage [plugins: Flash, QuickTime, QTVR] More about this Resource Find the Deep Sea Vent Activity for grades 6 through 12 Climb aboard this virtual expedition, and take charge of the ship's controls. You'll travel a 40-kilometer (24.8-mile) stretch of the Juan de Fuca Ridge, looking for a deep sea vent. Webpage More about this Resource Find a Plume, Find a Vent Activity for grades 6 through 12 How do scientists zero in on deep sea vents within the world's vast oceans—especially when they are located a mile or more below the surface? Think like a scientist, and you'll find out! PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 420kb] [pages: 6] More about this Resource