INDIAN OCEAN: GEOLOGICAL ORIGIN, CHARACTERISTICS, CLIMATE, FLORA AND FAUNA - ENVIRONMENT - 2024

The Indian Ocean is one of the parts of the Earth's global ocean that spans the territories of the Middle East, South Asia, Australia, and East Africa. In terms of its size, it is the third largest ocean since it covers up to 20% of the planet's water.

The Indian Ocean has a series of island regions very popular with explorers and tourists, such as Madagascar -the fourth largest island on the planet-, Comoros, the Maldives, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, as well as some edges of Indonesia.

The Maldives islands are located in the Indian Ocean. Source: pixabay.com

This ocean is widely used as a trade route between Africa and Asia, which on many occasions has made it the focus of political confrontations. Despite this, the Indian Ocean has never been successfully dominated by any nation except the English, who in the 19th century colonized most of the perimeter land.

This ocean owes its name to the coasts of India because the waters of the Indian Ocean bathe the beaches of this country. It should be noted that the first civilizations on Earth settled around this ocean, right along the Nile, Euphrates, Tigris and Indus rivers; there the communities of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt were gestated.

Later the river currents that flow into the Indian Ocean also allowed the birth of other nations such as Persia, Armenia and Asia.

One of the main characteristics of the Indian Ocean is that its currents are quite calm, which allowed establishing commercial and maritime activities much earlier than in the Pacific or the Atlantic.

In addition, from early times it was possible to recognize the monsoons of this maritime territory, which also speeded up its navigation. Among other things, this knowledge allowed Indonesian resident peoples to cross the ocean to settle on the island of Madagascar.

Geological origin

How were the oceans formed?

Taking into account various scientific theories it has been possible to establish that most of the Earth's water arose from within it thanks to volcanic activity and the rotating force that involves not only the movement of the planet, but also the gravitation of the cosmos.

The renowned geologist Arnold Urey managed to establish in his studies on Earth that 10% of the water that exists today already existed during the formation of the planet; however, it only extended superficially around the globe.

Water vapor: birth of water and oceans

At the beginning of the Earth there was only water vapor; This was mainly due to the fact that the planet's temperatures were very high and this prevented the establishment of liquid water in the basins and the geographical differences.

With the passage of time, the Earth's atmosphere managed to cool down, reaching a temperature of 374 ° C. Consequently, liquid water began to emerge but in moderate quantities, which implied that the evaporated water was mostly conserved.

Later the precipitations began to arise. This resulted in the liquid water beginning to settle in the lowlands and in the basins. The first rivers also began to develop, descending from the mountainous reliefs. Thanks to this event, the first oceans were born.

The salinity of the global ocean

One of the main characteristics of ocean and maritime waters is that they are made up of a variety of salts and minerals. However, this was not the case from the beginning, but required a slow process of chemical changes.

In fact, one of the most remarkable aspects of the Earth, its atmosphere and its seas is that they have undergone constant modifications.

Thanks to the emergence of precipitation, the chemical compounds that we can find both in the land and in the water began to be integrated.

As for marine waters, their composition gradually solidified through the grouping of salts and minerals. In the beginning, the concentration of these elements was low, but it was increasing as a result of erosions of the earth's crust.

In addition, this allowed the strong tides to reduce the coasts thanks to what became beaches.

Climatic factors also played a role in this fact, since they helped increase the metallic minerals found in oceanic territories.

All these events and phenomena contributed to the salinity of marine waters, which currently have up to 35 grams of salt per liter.

Geological formation of the Indian ocean

With the movement of the tectonic plates, the continents began to separate and move, creating land and maritime boundaries.

As a consequence, the currents of the Indian Ocean were delimited by the continents Africa, Oceania and Asia. Thanks to this, these waters were kept in the lower part of the globe. However, this ocean never touched the shores of the South Pole.

Brief history of the first navigations of the Indian Ocean

As mentioned in previous paragraphs, the Indian Ocean allowed the development of the first civilizations. Therefore, the waters of this maritime territory were known and explored long before those of the other oceans.

The first expeditions through this ocean were carried out in the first dynasty of Egypt, approximately in 3000 a. The explorers left the Egyptian lands to make landfall in Punt, which is now Somalia. From this trip the Egyptians returned with their boats loaded with myrrh and gold.

Likewise, the first commercial relationship between the Indus Valley and Mesopotamia was carried out along this ocean, approximately in 2500 BC. It is also believed that the Phoenicians entered these lands crossing the Indian Ocean; however, they left no settlements to prove this theory.

Important travelers who crossed the Indian Ocean

The first Greek to cross the Indian Ocean was Eudoxus of Cíclico, between the second century BC. C. and the 1st century BC. C. Cíclico carried out this feat in order to know the wonders of India.

Another important Greek navigator was Hipalus. This traveler discovered a direct route from Arabia to India.

The Chinese also developed trade and political routes across the Indian Ocean; Between 1405 and 1433 Admiral Zheng He decided to lead a notable number of Ming Dynasty ships across the Indian Ocean in order to arrive in the coastal areas of East Africa.

In 1497, the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama managed to skirt the Cape of Good Hope, thanks to which he became the first European to sail to the Far East.

The Portuguese had decided to use this route to transport merchandise across the ocean; however, later the other European powers took control of their commercial domains.

characteristics

Location

The Indian Ocean is located between southern India and Oceania, east Africa and north of Antarctica.

Consequently, this ocean is limited to the north by the regions of Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Iran, while to the east it is related to the Sunda Islands (Indonesia), the Malay Peninsula and Australia. To the south it borders Antarctica and to the west with the Arabian peninsula.

Likewise, it joins with the currents of the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest, while to the south it bathes the coasts of southern Africa. On the other hand, in the southeast the Indian Ocean joins the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Dimensions

The dimensions of the Indian Ocean are as follows:

- Regarding its depth, it has an average of 3741 meters, while its maximum reaches 7258 meters, this on the island of Java.

- As for its coastal length, it covers about 66,526 kilometers and its volume is about 292,131,000 cubic kilometers.

Surface

The area of ​​the Indian Ocean is around 70.56 million square kilometers, making it the third largest ocean.

In terms of mileage, its younger brother is the Arctic Ocean, which has about 14.06 million square kilometers, while its older brothers are the Antarctic and Pacific Oceans, with 20 million and 161 million respectively.

Geography

Geographically, it can be established that the cortical plates (both the Indian, the African and the Antarctic) converge in this ocean.

In turn, the continental shelves of the Indian Ocean are narrow because they are about 200 kilometers wide, with the exception of the western Australian coast whose width exceeds a thousand kilometers.

Furthermore, the Indian Ocean is made up of a series of islands, straits and other geographical features that characterize its geography, such as the island of Madagascar or the Strait of Malacca.

- Islands

Madagascar Island

Madagascar consists of an island country located in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the African continent and east of the nation of Mozambique. This country is the largest island on the African continent and the fourth largest on the planet, characterized by its variety of plants and animals.

Thanks to the isolation of their lands in Madagascar, they have been able to preserve several endemic species of the island, such as lemurs, baobabs and the carnivorous fossa. Consequently, it can be established that 80% of the specimens that inhabit the island are native to that region.

Maldiva's Islands

The Maldives, officially known as the Republic of Maldives, is an island country in the Indian Ocean that is made up of 26 atolls (that is, coral islands). This country has a total of 1200 islands, of which only 203 are inhabited.

In terms of location, these lands border Sri Lanka to the southwest and are four hundred kilometers from India.

Various ecosystems can be found in the waters of the Maldives, among which the colorful coral reefs stand out; These are home to 1,100 species of fish along with 21 species of whales and dolphins and 5 species of sea turtles. There is also a great variety of mollusks and crustaceans.

- Straits

Strait of Malacca

It consists of a long stretch of sea located on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra. It is considered an important maritime corridor as it links the Andaman Sea with the South China Sea.

It is about eight hundred kilometers long and its width is 320 kilometers, although it has variations of up to 50 kilometers.

Lombok Strait

The Strait of Lombok is a maritime strait that crosses the islands of Bali and Lombok and is located in Indonesia. In addition, it allows communication between the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean.

It is a strait used as an alternative navigation route, especially for those very heavy vessels that cannot pass through the Strait of Malacca because the latter is shallower.

The length of this strait is 60 kilometers, with a minimum width of 18 kilometers and a maximum of 40, and with a depth of 250 meters.

geology

Regarding the geology of the Indian Ocean, it can be established that 86% of the oceanic territory is covered with pelagic sediments, which consist of fine grains that accumulate as a consequence of the deposition of particles on the seabed.

These sediments develop in deep waters and are composed mainly of biogenic silica shells - secreted by zooplankton and phytoplankton - or by calcium carbonate. Smaller siliciclastic sediments can also be found.

The remaining 14% is covered with slight layers of terrigenous sediments, which consist of a series of particles that form on the earth's soil and bind with marine sediments.

Weather

In the southern part the Indian Ocean has a stable climate. However, in its northern part, monsoons usually develop, which consist of seasonal winds produced by the displacement of the equatorial belt.

Monsoon winds are usually heavy with rain, although they can also be cold and dry. In addition, monsoons tend to significantly affect societies located in the Indian Ocean since their heavy rains generate negative impacts on the economy.

For example, in India every year there are some drowning deaths; in fact, in 2005 about a thousand people died as a result of the floods caused by the Indian monsoons.

In the southern part of the ocean the winds are less intense; however, there are some storms in the summer that can be quite strong and damaging.

In turn, when drastic changes occur in the monsoon winds, cyclones can develop that hit the coasts of the Indian Ocean.

Flora

The flora of the Indian Ocean not only includes underwater plants - composed mainly of green, brown and reddish algae - but also those that inhabit the coasts and islands. For example, a plant typical of the countries located in the Indian Ocean is the Adiantum Hispidulum.

- Adiantum Hispidulum

Also known as the five-fingered Jack, it is a small fern belonging to the Pteridaceae family that is widely distributed. It is located in Polynesia, Australia, Africa, New Zealand and in most of the islands of the Indian Ocean. It can grow between rocks or in certain protected soils.

In addition, the Adiantum Hispidulum is characterized by growing in tufts and can be up to eighteen inches long. Its fronds can be triangular and elliptical, and they open in tips that culminate in the shape of a fan or diamond.

The winds from the Indian Ocean favor a humid climate that allows the growth of this type of fern on the islands.

- Flora of Madagascar

Adansonia

Baobabs trees. Hanspeter Limacher Adansonia is a family group of trees from the Malvaceae family, also popularly known as baobab, monkey bread or bottle tree.

Of this type of trees we can find eight species of which six are located on the island of Madagascar; the rest are in continental Africa.

The most common name, "baobab", comes from the Arabic buhibab which means "father of many seeds." Its scientific name comes from the French botanist Michel Adanson.

The baobab consists of a tree with a large trunk with an irregular or bottle shape and full of knots. Its height ranges between three and thirty meters, while the diameter of its crown can exceed eleven meters. The bark is smooth and fibrous, which allows it to store water.

The leaves of this tree only grow during the rainy season and have eleven leaflets. Its flowers are actinomorphic and hermaphroditic, have white petals and can reach about four inches.

Abrus aureus

Abrus aureus is a species of climbing plant that belongs to the Fabaceae family. One of its most important characteristics is that it is completely endemic to Madagascar.

It is a liana that grows in the humid or sub-humid forests of the island and can measure up to two thousand meters. This plant was described by the French botanist and paleontologist René Viguier.

- Flora of the Comoros islands

Camp pachyglossa

This plant is an orchid with an epiphytic habit native to Africa and some islands of the Indian Ocean. Its Latin name refers to its wide lip and in Madagascar it is known as "the Kisatrasatra."

It is a medium-sized, erect and monopod plant. It has a woody stem with leaves with a bilobed and uneven apex, fleshy and dark green in color. Its flowers are fuchsia and grow at any time of the year.

Fauna

In the deeper areas of the Indian Ocean, fauna is limited because this maritime territory does not have adequate amounts of phytoplankton, which is the main food for fish.

However, in the northern part there are several species such as shrimp and tuna, along with whales and turtles, currently classified as endangered species. As for the fauna of its islands, this is much more varied, especially for its colorful coral reefs.

Accentronura

The Acentronura is a type of fish that belongs to the Syngnathidae family and is commonly referred to as a pygmy horse, pipefish or bastard seahorse. It is usually distributed in the tropical and temperate waters of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

The Acentronura has a brown, greenish or yellowish coloration, along with some irregular dermal projections that allow it to camouflage itself.

The females are thinner, so they resemble pipefish; instead, males are more similar to seahorses. They are small specimens that can reach up to 63 millimeters in length.

Coradion

The coradion is a genus of tropical fish that belongs to the family of the caetodonts, also known as "butterfly fish." These animals can be found throughout the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

They are characterized by their body type, which has a series of white and orange stripes with a fin that makes them similar to butterflies. Its size is about 15 centimeters.

Three species can be found in the Indian Ocean: Coradion altivelis, Coradion chrysozonus and Coradion melanopus.

The shadowy shearwater

It is a type of bird that usually travels through the Indian Ocean, although it can also be found in the Atlantic Ocean. It is a great migrant since it can fly up to 910 kilometers in a single day.

The shady shearwater raises its chicks in the southern part of the oceans; however, it can be found in the northern hemisphere. It has a length of forty-five centimeters and its wingspan is one and a half meters.

Countries with coasts in the Indian Ocean

Below is a list of countries and islands whose shores meet the Indian Ocean:

Africa

- South Africa

- Mozambique.

- Madagascar.

- Mauricio.

- Comoros.

- Tanzania.

- Kenya.

- Somalia.

- Egypt.

Asia

- Israel.

- Jordan.

- Saudi Arabia.

- Yemen.

- United Arab Emirates.

- India.

- Pakistan.

- Qatar.

- Maldives.

Oceania

- Ashmore and Cartier Islands.

- Indonesia.

- East Timor.

- Australia.

British Territories

- Sri Lanka.

- Malaysia.

- Cocos Islands.

- Thailand.

- Bangladesh.

References

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3. SA (sf) Indian Ocean. Information and characteristics. Retrieved on July 17, 2019 from Geoenciclopedia: geoenciclopedia.com
4. SA (sf) Indian Ocean. Retrieved on July 17, 2019 from EcuRed: ecured.co
5. SA (sf) Indian Ocean. Retrieved on July 17, 2019 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org