Describe how submarine canyons are formed? Where are they formed? How have past ice ages affected the formation of submarine canyons?

Answer 1

· Submarine canyons cut into continental shelves and slopes perpendicularly. They generally form at right angles in relation to the shoreline. Many are found at mouths of rivers or streams that deposit into the ocean.
· Submarine canyons are heavily influenced by turbidity currents. These currents cut the canyons into lower depths.
· Erosion that occurs in areas near rivers can contribute to the formation of submarine canyons.
· Ice Ages that occurred in the past factored into the creation of submarine canyons. During an ice age, the sea level lowers because large amounts of water get drawn into ice. The erosion that occurs near rivers is a result of the lowering sea level. Then when the sea level rises, that canyon that was created is underwater. It is then continually altered by marine processes.