Trough (geology)

Satellite image of the Cayman Trough

Bathymetric features of the Rockall Trough northwest of Scotland and Ireland

In geology, a trough is a linear structural depression that extends laterally over a distance. Although it is less steep than a trench, a trough can be a narrow basin or a geologic rift. These features often form at the rim of tectonic plates. There are various oceanic troughs on the ocean floors. Troughs created by glaciation are called glacial trough .

Examples of oceanic troughs

• Benue Trough
• Cayman Trough ^[1]
• Hesperides Trough
• Kings Trough
• Mariana Trough
• Nankai Trough
• Northumberland Trough
• Okinawa Trough in the East China Sea
• Rockall Trough and others along the rift of the mid-oceanic ridge
• Salton Trough
• South Shetland Trough
• Suakin Trough ^[2] in the Red Sea
• Timor Trough ^[3]

See also

• Oceanic basin
• Thalweg
• Walker Lane

References

1. Einsele, Gerhard (2000). Sedimentary Basins: Evolution, Facies, and Sediment Budget (2nd ed.). Springer. p. 630. ISBN   978-3-540-66193-1.
2. Dinwiddie, Robert et al. (2008) Ocean: The World's Last Wilderness Revealed, London, Dorling Kindersley, page 452.
3. "Chapter II (Geology of Timor-Leste)". Atlas of mineral resources of the ESCAP region Volume 17 Geology and Mineral Resources of Timor-Leste (PDF). United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. 24 December 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 May 2005.