138 DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN 



tions by the late Alexander Agassiz on board the U.S.S. 

 " Albatross " showed that this rise from the general depth of 

 over 2000 fathoms was not continuous. This has led to a great 

 decrease in the figures given for the area with depths between 

 looo and 2000 fathoms, and a corresponding increase in the 

 area with depths between 2000 and 3000 fathoms. 

 Pacific area The area exceeding 2000 fathoms in depth in the Pacific is 



SocTfathoms. Connected with the corresponding area in the Atlantic by a 

 comparatively narrow trench running to the south of Cape Horn 

 between South Georgia and South Orkney, and is continuous 

 throughout the Pacific except for detached areas in several of 

 the fringing seas on the west, one in the Coral Sea, and one 

 large and six small areas in the South-West Pacific, where the 

 soundings are very numerous and the contour-lines of depth are 

 very sinuous. 



The areas exceeding 3000 fathoms in depth will be referred 

 to under a later heading. 



Area of the ludiau Oceaii. — The Indian Ocean may be looked upon as 



Indian Ocean extendincj southwards from the Bay of Bengfal and Arabian Sea 



sea-floor at i a • • • i i • i -r^ ^ c^ i t • 



different to the Antarctic contment, mcludmg the Red Sea and Persian 



depths. Gulf, and as being separated from the Atlantic in the south at the 



meridian of the Cape of Good Hope (long. 20° E.) and from the 

 Pacific at the meridian of Tasmania (long. 147° E.). As thus 

 defined the Indian Ocean covers an area of about 29,340,000 

 square English miles, the distribution of depth being shown in 

 the following table : — 



These figures show that, like the Pacific, nearly nine-tenths 



of the Indian Ocean sea-floor are covered by water exceeding 



1000 fathoms in depth, while nearly two-thirds are covered by 



Continental more than 2000 fathoms of water. The shallowest zone in 



inthe^'indiar ^^ Indian Ocean (o-iooo fathoms) is much smaller than the 



Ocean. succecdiug zoue ( 1 000-2000 fathoms), indicating that the average 



