150 THE DEPTH AND MARINE DEPOSITS OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
Sir John Murray for the anniversary celebration of the Royal Geographical 
Society of Australia, to which the reader is referred. 
The entire Pacific Ocean, excluding the fringe of partially enclosed seas 
on its northern and western borders, that is to say, as bounded by the Aleu- 
tian Islands on the north, by the Antarctic continent on the south, by the 
Americas on the east, and by Kamschatka, the Kurile Islands, New Guinea, 
Australia, and Tasmania on the west, is estimated to cover an area exceeding 
sixty-two millions of square miles. Planimeter measurements give the fol- 
lowing approximate areas between the consecutive contour lines of depth 
drawn in at intervals of 1000fathoms, and the percentages to the total area : — 
Square Miles. Per Cent. 
Less than 1000 fathoms ...... . 5,610,000 9.0 
1000 to 2000 LO ey Pee 10,480,000 16.8 
2000 to 3000 eae cr aS My re 41,750,000 67.0 
3000 to 4000 eae ie © Os 4,230,000 6.8 
More: that 40005 he ae 220,000 0.4 
62,290,000 100.0 
From this table it seems that by far the largest area (about two-thirds of 
the entire ocean) is that between 2000 and 3000 fathoms in depth. An in- 
spection of the map shows this very well, for it is seen that the dominant 
shade is the fifth one, indicating depths of 2000 to 3000 fathoms, which is 
broken only by several irregular deeper and shallower areas. 
Depths of less than 1000 fathoms (1829 metres) are found round the shores 
of the continents and islands and also in a few cases in the more central parts 
of the ocean where submarine elevations have been discovered. ; 
Depths between 1000 and 2000 fathoms (1829-3658 metres) also occur 
round the coasts, but in some localities cover a much larger area than the shal- 
lower zone, as, for instance, off the coast of Central America, where there is a 
large area, which has been called the Galapagos Plateau ; and, again, off the 
coast of South America, between 32° and 50°S., where there is a smaller area, 
which has been called the Juan Fernandez Plateau. In the South Pacific 
there is a broad tract extending from 38° to 74° §. and from 145° E. to 
105° W., sending a branch northward into the Coral Sea; to the north 
of this is a large area, stretching from 8° to 28°S., and from 102° to 142° W., 
which has been called the Albatross Plateau. In the North Pacific there is 
a small area off the coast of Mexico, founded on two soundings taken during 
the “ Albatross’? 1904-1905 cruise, and a second small area between 175° 
and 179° E. and 21° and 23°N., as well as a few other small scattered areas. 
