<p>The real oceans on Earth have a majority of their surface area (53% of the total ocean area) in the abyssal range <a href="https://doi.org/10.1081/E-ENRW-120048589" rel="nofollow noreferrer">1</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/9vxW0.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/9vxW0.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Reference</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Dierssen, Heidi &amp; Theberge, Albert. (2014). &quot;Bathymetry: Features and Hypsography.&quot; <a href="https://doi.org/10.1081/E-ENRW-120048589" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://doi.org/10.1081/E-ENRW-120048589</a>.</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-06T00:45:45.550Z
2022-08-06T00:53:26.473Z
2022-08-06T00:53:26.473Z
Oscar Lanzi
<p>Long ago, Chris Wayans, a worldbuilder, created a thought experiment switching Earth's depth with height, and vice versa.  The result:  Abyssia.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/oDb2Y.gif" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/oDb2Y.gif" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>He even went as far as listing the following geographical proportions by the numbers:</p>
<ul>
<li>Land=12% of the planet's surface</li>
<li>Shallow seas=13% of the planet's surface</li>
<li>Deep seas (1-4 kilometers deep)=40% of the planet's surface</li>
<li>Abyssal plains (5-6 kilometers deep)=32% of the planet's surface</li>
<li>Trenches and deeps (Over 6 kilometers deep)=3% of the planet's surface</li>
</ul>
<p>How does this compare to Earth's oceans in real life?  For this question, we'll have to disregard all land, which we pretty much know makes up 29% of the planet's surface.  All I know is that the shallows make up eight percent of the Earth's oceans, but what about the deep seas, the abyssal plains and the trenches and deeps?  How much of Earth's oceans do they make up?</p>

<oceanography><geography>
How much of Earth's oceans has each of the listed features?
JohnWDailey
# How much of Earth's oceans has each of the listed features?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-07-21)

Long ago, Chris Wayans, a worldbuilder, created a thought experiment switching Earth's depth with height, and vice versa. The result: Abyssia.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/oDb2Y.gif)](https://i.sstatic.net/oDb2Y.gif)

He even went as far as listing the following geographical proportions by the numbers:

* Land=12% of the planet's surface
* Shallow seas=13% of the planet's surface
* Deep seas (1-4 kilometers deep)=40% of the planet's surface
* Abyssal plains (5-6 kilometers deep)=32% of the planet's surface
* Trenches and deeps (Over 6 kilometers deep)=3% of the planet's surface

How does this compare to Earth's oceans in real life? For this question, we'll have to disregard all land, which we pretty much know makes up 29% of the planet's surface. All I know is that the shallows make up eight percent of the Earth's oceans, but what about the deep seas, the abyssal plains and the trenches and deeps? How much of Earth's oceans do they make up?

**Tags:** oceanography, geography


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-08-06. Score: 3

The real oceans on Earth have a majority of their surface area (53% of the total ocean area) in the abyssal range [1](https://doi.org/10.1081/E-ENRW-120048589).

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/9vxW0.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/9vxW0.jpg)

**Reference**

1. Dierssen, Heidi & Theberge, Albert. (2014). "Bathymetry: Features and Hypsography." <https://doi.org/10.1081/E-ENRW-120048589>.


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