abyssal









abyssal


adjective

  1. of or like an abyss; immeasurable; unfathomable.
  2. of or relating to the biogeographic zone of the ocean bottom between the bathyal and hadal zones: from depths of approximately 13,000 to 21,000 feet (4000 to 6500 meters).

adjective

  1. of or belonging to the ocean depths, esp below 2000 metres (6500 feet)abyssal zone
  2. geology another word for plutonic
adj.

1690s, used especially of the zone of ocean water below 300 fathoms, from abyss + -al (1). Though the 19th century, abysmal was more common in oceanography.

  1. Relating to the greatest depths of the oceans and to the organisms that live there. The abyssal zone encompasses all depths below 4,000 m (13,120 ft).
  2. Relating to the region of the ocean bottom between the bathyal and hadal zones, from depths of approximately 2,000 to 6,000 m (6,560 to 19,680 ft). The abyssal zone includes nearly two-thirds of the Earth’s surface.
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