Your Objective

Use depth and angle (tilt from side to side) data of the seafloor, along with maps of the seafloor from the Axial Seamount in the Northeast Pacific Ocean (Cabled Axial Seamount) to determine if there are relationships over 4 days in 2015.

before
after

Include datasets:




Data Tips

When the site loads, you are able to compare the bathymetry (map of seafloor) in September 2013 or July 2015. You also can see the seafloor depth and angle (tilt) in the X (east-west) and Y (north-south) directions four days in April 2015 at the Axial Seamount.

You can interact with the map by:

You can interact with the graphs by:

Note - Tilt values are in microradians. One microradian is the amount of angle you'd get if you lifted one end of a straight line that is 1 km long by 1 mm.

Questions for Thought

Orientation Questions
  • Across what depth range is the seafloor around the Axial Seamount?
  • Across what time period are you able to observe depth and angle (tilt from side to side) data of the seafloor in these graphs?
    • What is the first day there are data?
    • What is the last day there are data?
  • In what direction (North, South, East, or West) is the angle of the seafloor when there is a negative X-tilt? A negative Y-tilt?
Interpretation Questions
  • In general, what changes did you observe in the seafloor shape from before (Sep 2013) and after (Jul 2015) the event?
  • What changes or patterns did you observe in seafloor depth over this time period at the Axial Seamount?
    • When did you see these changes or patterns?
    • What is your evidence?
  • What changes or patterns did you observe in seafloor angle over this time period at the Axial Seamount?
    • When did you see these changes or patterns?
    • What is your evidence?
  • What questions do you still have about why the depth, angle, and shape of the seafloor changes over time?

Background Information

Click on the images below to learn more about where and how the dataset above was collected.

Additional Resources

Dataset Information

The data for this activity was obtained from the following Bottom Pressure and Tilt instruments on the Cabled Axial Seamount array:

Download this Dataset

The above datasets were downloaded from the OOI data portal and downsampled to simplify the datasets for plotting. Special thanks to William Chadwick for assistance in the processing these data. For more information about these data and past events, please check out NOAA PMEL's site on Bottom Pressure and Tilt instruments at Axial Seamount.