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Ocean bank
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<h2 id="types">Types</h2> <p>Ocean banks may be of <a href="/facts/Volcano/c2M5upml">volcanic</a> nature. Banks may be <a href="/facts/Carbonate_platform/LGHbHoQ4">carbonate</a> or <a href="/facts/Continental_shelf/dpgHAR4U">terrigenous</a>. In tropical areas some banks are submerged <a href="/facts/Atoll/cPyQIzVS">atolls</a>. As they are not associated with any <a href="/facts/Landmass/Nr31Cq7A">landmass</a>, banks have no outside source of <a href="/facts/Sediment/zsIH1A6U">sediments</a>. Carbonate banks are typically platforms, rising from the ocean depths, whereas terrigenous banks are elevated sedimentary deposits.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> </p><p><a href="/facts/Seamount/jR3XQv2E">Seamounts</a>, by contrast, are mountains rising from the <a href="/facts/Deep_sea/c88zdYul">deep sea</a> and are steeper and higher in comparison to the surrounding <a href="/facts/Seabed/VvxuEWJu">seabed</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> Examples of these are Pioneer and Guide Seamounts, west of the <a href="/facts/Farallon_Islands/njcbSb0r">Farallon Islands</a>. The Pioneer Seamount has a depth of 1,000 meters,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> In other cases, parts of a bank may reach above the water surface, thereby forming <a href="/facts/Island/46Apq1bJ">islands</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="prominent-banks">Prominent banks</h2> <p>The largest banks in the world are: </p> <ol><li><a href="/facts/Grand_Banks_of_Newfoundland/XBsrzyUu">Grand Banks of Newfoundland</a> (280,000 km2)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> - terrigenous bank</li> <li><a href="/facts/Agulhas_Bank/FIppyMUt">Agulhas Bank</a> (116,000 km2)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Great_Bahama_Bank/etcftBVI">Great Bahama Bank</a> (95,798.12 km2, has islands, area without islands)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Saya_de_Malha/NYK0g1kA">Saya de Malha</a> (35,000 km2, excluding the separate North bank, least depth 7 m)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Seychelles_Bank/GhvD6HmV">Seychelles Bank</a> (31,000 km2, including islands of 266 km2)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Georges_Bank/Q2BzFDgD">Georges Bank</a> (28,800 km2) - terrigenous bank</li> <li><a href="/facts/Lansdowne_Bank/kdNNFnKn">Lansdowne Bank</a> (4,300 km2,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> west of <a href="/facts/New_Caledonia/VI15kA61">New Caledonia</a>, least depth 3.7 m)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Dogger_Bank/45hQxsnA">Dogger Bank</a> (17,600 km2, least depth 13 m)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Little_Bahama_Bank/etcftBVI">Little Bahama Bank</a> (14,260.64 km2, has islands, area without islands)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Great_Chagos_Bank/EI4v55Ly">Great Chagos Bank</a> (12,642 km2, including islands of 4.5 km2)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Reed_Bank/9l1RnoGg">Reed Bank</a>, <a href="/facts/Spratly_Islands/ltQy6I9K">Spratly Islands</a> (8,866 km2, least depth 9 m)</li> <li>Caicos Bank, <a href="/facts/Caicos_Islands/LsEcDYXp">Caicos Islands</a> (7,680 km2, including islands of 589.5 km2)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Macclesfield_Bank/BQgUF14a">Macclesfield Bank</a> (6,448 km2, least depth 9.2 m)</li> <li>North Bank or Ritchie Bank (5,800 km2, north of <a href="/facts/Saya_de_Malha/NYK0g1kA">Saya de Malha</a>, least depth <10 m)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Cay_Sal_Bank/r6MpUSpP">Cay Sal Bank</a> (5,226.73 km2, including islands of 14.87 km2)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Rosalind_Bank/rhm9h5sP">Rosalind Bank</a> (4,500 km2, least depth 7.3 m)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Bassas_de_Pedro/0r72roXt">Bassas de Pedro</a> (2,474.33 km2, least depth 16.4 m), part of the <a href="/facts/Amindivi/fKdY1NMe">Amindivi</a> Subgroup of <a href="/facts/Lakshadweep/fjpHspgw">Lakshadweep</a>, <a href="/facts/India/1kKHcnxM">India</a></li></ol> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Oceanic_plateau/GaFfUSWC">Oceanic plateau</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Carbonate_platform/LGHbHoQ4">Carbonate platform</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Placer_(geography)/gjpCNqtb">Placer (geography)</a></li></ul> <h2 id="notes">Notes</h2> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20061215125219/http://www.farallones.org/findings/documents/Geology.pdf">Definitions – Islands, Banks & Seamounts: Geologic Features Under the Sea</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Morelock, J. (2005). Morphology. Geological Oceanography Program, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM). Retrieved on: October 11, 2008. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070106165300/http://geology.uprm.edu/Morelock/marg.htm" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20070106165300/http://geology.uprm.edu/Morelock/marg.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association. Islands, Banks & Seamounts: Geologic Features Under the Sea Archived 2006-12-15 at the Wayback Machine. <a href="http://www.farallones.org/findings/documents/Geology.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.farallones.org/findings/documents/Geology.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association. Islands, Banks & Seamounts: Geologic Features Under the Sea Archived 2006-12-15 at the Wayback Machine. <a href="http://www.farallones.org/findings/documents/Geology.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.farallones.org/findings/documents/Geology.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>World Wildlife Fund. Deep sea ecology: seamounts. Retrieved on: October 11, 2008. <a href="http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/marine/blue_planet/deep_sea/seamounts/index.cfm" target="_blank">http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/marine/blue_planet/deep_sea/seamounts/index.cfm</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Fisheries and Oceans Canada Backgrounder: The Grand Banks and the Flemish Cap. Retrieved on: October 11, 2008. <a href="http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/overfishing-surpeche/media/bk_grandbanks_e.htm" target="_blank">http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/overfishing-surpeche/media/bk_grandbanks_e.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Whittle, C. P. (2012). "Characterization of Agulhas Bank upwelling variability from satellite-derived sea surface temperature and ocean colour products" (PDF). American Geophysical Union Chapman Conference. Retrieved 29 March 2015. <a href="http://chapman.agu.org/agulhas/files/2012/11/Whittle_Poster_Chapman_2012_01.pdf" target="_blank">http://chapman.agu.org/agulhas/files/2012/11/Whittle_Poster_Chapman_2012_01.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Le parc naturel de la mer de Corail, p. 26 <a href="http://docplayer.fr/65661420-Le-parc-naturel-de-la-mer-de-corail.html" target="_blank">http://docplayer.fr/65661420-Le-parc-naturel-de-la-mer-de-corail.html</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>