Water makes up three quarters of the earth.

Therefore, while we know more about the earth's land areas, water is a vital part of the earth. Water on earth can be either salt water, found in oceans and some seas, or freshwater as found in lakes. Click on the following to learn more about water forms:

Oceans akes !ivers Other water forms

"fter completing this page, do the Oceans #ui$

Oceans are the largest bodies of water on the earth. There are four oceans. The largest ocean is the %acific Ocean. The ne&t largest is the "tlantic, then the 'ndian and finall( the "rctic Ocean. Oceans together have an area of about )*+ million square miles. The average depth of the oceans is two miles, but it can get deeper. The deepest part of the oceans is in the %acific at the ,arianas Trench where it is about seven miles deep. -owever, oceans are reall( ver( thin la(ers atop the earth compared to the whole earth, sort of like a water( film on a mirror after a hot shower.

.elow are some comparisons of the oceans:

Ocean %acific "tlantic 'ndian "rctic "rea in /quare ,iles 1*.)21,+33 ++,*43,333 42,+63,633 6,)36,733

"verage 0epth in feet )4,546 )),7+3 )4,652 +,*37

-ow Oceans 8ormed

"bout three million (ears ago, the surface of the earth was soft because the rocks that make it up were quite soft. There could be no oceans because when it rained the water that hit the earth evaporated quickl(. ater on, the earth cooled. 'ts surface was wrinkl( like our skin gets when we are in the sun too long. The higher parts of the wrinkles on the earth's surface formed the continents and the deeper parts the earth's oceans.

"fter a while the water sta(ed put in the deep valle(s that formed the oceans' floors.

Toda(, the floor of the oceans actuall( looks like mountainous land. "t first when one leaves the shore of an ocean area there is a sort of shallow shelf area of water called the continental shelf. 't drops off in the continental slopes and finall( to the ocean basins or floors which are quite rough and mountainous. ,uch of this has been formed b( underwater volcanoes and their lava. Within the ocean water itself are several phenomena. One is the ocean currents, which are streams of water within the greater ocean water. The( can be cold or warm. Ocean tides are the rising and falling of water on the ocean shores due to the pull of the moon's and to a lesser e&tent, the sun's gravit(. Ocean waves are ripples in the ocean or other water forms caused b( winds blowing across them.

When (ou are done, tr( the akes #ui$ akes are bodies of water surrounded b( land. akes generall( have fresh water, while oceans and seas have salt water. While lakes are a small percentage of the earth's total water, the( are important for our econom( and transportation. " lake does not flow along a certain path as a river does. akes are larger than ponds. akes were formed man( thousands of (ears ago b( glaciers. "t that time, huge glaciers covered the earth. When the glaciers melted, some of the water that was over hollows in the earth became lakes. Other wa(s lakes were formed include man made lakes, natural dams and craters formed in great volcanic e&plosions. akes get bigger and smaller, depending on man( factors. akes get smaller if the( get filled up with silt or other material. The( also dr( up if the( are not

replenished with water through rainfall. Other lakes get deeper and bigger as rivers, rainfall and underground water make the lake e&pand. .elow is a list of the world's biggest lakes. 9ven though some are called seas, the( are actuall( lakes: /everal of the world's largest lakes are the ;reat akes of <orth "merica.
ake Caspian /ea /uperior >ictoria "ral /ea -uron Continent "sia=9urope <orth "merica "frica "sia <orth "merica "rea )*+,4** +),733 41,242 4*,53* 4+,333

!ivers

When (ou have finished this page, take the !ivers #ui$. While rivers are a small fraction of the earth's total surface, the( are e&tremel( important for transportion and for our econom( b( providing food and ?obs. !ivers are defined as narrow bodies of water that move along a certain path. The( have a source, which is where the river begins and a mouth which is the larger bod( of water where the river flows into. /ince water flows downward and along the easiest or deepest path, man( rivers start in a higher area such as mountains. "s rivers move along, the( change the face of the earth that the( flow over b( wearing awa( the land and also b( causing buildup at the end of the river.The mud and sand that builds up at the mouth of a river is called a delta. !ivers are fresh water bodies. .elow is a chart of some of the earth's largest rivers
!iver Continent ength in ,iles

<ile "ma$on ,ississippi@,issouri Ob Aangt$e@Biang

"frica /outh "merica <orth "merica "sia "sia

*,)13 +,533 +,253 +,433 +,)33

.elow is a map of ma?or rivers and streams in the Cnited /tates:

Other Water 8orms

When (ou finish this page, tr( the Other Water 8orms #ui$.

While oceans, lakes and rivers are the ma?or definitions of water forms, there are other water forms or divisions. The( are listed below " sea is a bod( of water that is slightl( smaller than an ocean. To make matters confusing, the word sea is used man( times in referring to oceans. "lso several seas such as the Caspian /ea are reall( lakes: " sound is a narrow bod( of water separating an island from the mainland. " strait is a narrow bod( of water between two large bodies of water. The .ering /trait between "laska and !ussia is a good e&ample.

" gulf is a part of an ocean e&tending into the land. The ;ulf of ,e&ico, a part of the "tlantic Ocean b( the southern Cnited /tates and ,e&ico is an e&ample. " ba( is a part of an ocean or lake e&tending into the land. 't is similar to a gulf but usuall( smaller. " cove is a small sheltered inlet or small ba( " waterfall or falls is the steep descent or falling of the water of a river or stream. " dam is a barrier that holds water back and sometimes forms lakes.

" .a(

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