By: Lara Marinich

A submarine canyon is a steep valley cut into the seabed of the continental slope or the continental shelf, these margins are extremely steep.

They get their name because of the fact that they resemble the canyons (made by rivers) that we would find on land.

The majority of submarine canyons are only about 48 km or 30 miles or less in length, although there are some that are more than 320 km or 200 miles long.

The organic material associated with sediments provides nutrients to deep-sea organisms. The submarine canyon sediment transports are episodic and are potentially triggered by storms, earthquakes, moderate sea conditions, tidal fluctuation, and flooding

Organisms found in submarine Caves-

while most organisms found in the canyons are not just specifically in the canyons. Mobile fishes and invertebrates such as prickly sharks and krill can be found along the walls of the canyon. The coral found in the canyons can be a home to a variety of rockfishes.

Citations:

Submarine canyon. (2017, February 03). Retrieved February 14, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_canyon

SIMoN. (n.d.). Retrieved February 14, 2017, from http://www.sanctuarysimon.org/monterey/sections/submarineCanyons/overview.php?sec=sc

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. (2015, July 08). Submarine canyon. Retrieved February 15, 2017, from https://www.britannica.com/science/submarine-canyon