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Alboran Sea
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Alboran Sea
The Alboran Sea is the westernmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea, lying between the Iberian Peninsula and the north of Africa (Spain on the north and Morocco and Algeria on the south). The Strait of Gibraltar, which lies at the west end of the Alboran Sea, connects the Mediterranean with the Atlantic Ocean.
Its average depth is 445 metres (1,460 ft) and maximum depth is 1,500 metres (4,900 ft).
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Alboran Sea as follows:
On the West. The Eastern limit of the Strait of Gibraltar: A line joining from tip (Europa Point) of Cap Gibraltar in Europe (36°6.5′N 5°20.7′W / 36.1083°N 5.3450°W) to the tip of the Península de Almina of Ceuta in Africa (35°54′N 5°18′W / 35.900°N 5.300°W).
On the East. A line joining from Cabo de Gata in Andalusia in Europe (36°43.3′N 2°11.6′W / 36.7217°N 2.1933°W) to Cap Fegalo, near Oran, Algeria in Africa (35°36′N 1°12′W / 35.600°N 1.200°W).
Several small islands dot the sea, including the eponymous Isla de Alborán. Most, even those close to the African shore, belong to Spain.
The Alboran domain, the seafloor beneath the Alboran Sea (known as the internal zones) together with the surrounding mountains (known as the external zones; the Gibraltar Arc and Atlas Mountains), is mostly made of continental crust and marks the westernmost terminus of the terranes that were subducted between the African and Eurasian Plates when the Tethys Ocean closed. Reoccurring earthquakes at a depth of about 600 km (370 mi) indicate that this subduction is ongoing and that complex interactions between the lithosphere and mantle are forming the region. The internal zones are made of Late Paleozoic to Triassic rocks that were piled up during the Tertiary and has been extended since the Early Miocene.
The seafloor is morphologically complex with several sub-basins, including three main sub-basins named West, East, and South Alboran Basins, ridges, and seamounts. The most prominent structure in the Alboran Sea is the 180 km long (110 mi) Alboran Ridge which stretches southwest from the volcanic Alborán Island.
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Alboran Sea
The Alboran Sea is the westernmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea, lying between the Iberian Peninsula and the north of Africa (Spain on the north and Morocco and Algeria on the south). The Strait of Gibraltar, which lies at the west end of the Alboran Sea, connects the Mediterranean with the Atlantic Ocean.
Its average depth is 445 metres (1,460 ft) and maximum depth is 1,500 metres (4,900 ft).
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Alboran Sea as follows:
On the West. The Eastern limit of the Strait of Gibraltar: A line joining from tip (Europa Point) of Cap Gibraltar in Europe (36°6.5′N 5°20.7′W / 36.1083°N 5.3450°W) to the tip of the Península de Almina of Ceuta in Africa (35°54′N 5°18′W / 35.900°N 5.300°W).
On the East. A line joining from Cabo de Gata in Andalusia in Europe (36°43.3′N 2°11.6′W / 36.7217°N 2.1933°W) to Cap Fegalo, near Oran, Algeria in Africa (35°36′N 1°12′W / 35.600°N 1.200°W).
Several small islands dot the sea, including the eponymous Isla de Alborán. Most, even those close to the African shore, belong to Spain.
The Alboran domain, the seafloor beneath the Alboran Sea (known as the internal zones) together with the surrounding mountains (known as the external zones; the Gibraltar Arc and Atlas Mountains), is mostly made of continental crust and marks the westernmost terminus of the terranes that were subducted between the African and Eurasian Plates when the Tethys Ocean closed. Reoccurring earthquakes at a depth of about 600 km (370 mi) indicate that this subduction is ongoing and that complex interactions between the lithosphere and mantle are forming the region. The internal zones are made of Late Paleozoic to Triassic rocks that were piled up during the Tertiary and has been extended since the Early Miocene.
The seafloor is morphologically complex with several sub-basins, including three main sub-basins named West, East, and South Alboran Basins, ridges, and seamounts. The most prominent structure in the Alboran Sea is the 180 km long (110 mi) Alboran Ridge which stretches southwest from the volcanic Alborán Island.
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