![Oceanisation](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Oceanisation.png)
Oceanisation, or oceanization, is the process of formation of an
ocean
The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the wo ...
after continental
rifting
In geology, a rift is a linear zone where the lithosphere is being pulled apart and is an example of extensional tectonics.
Typical rift features are a central linear downfaulted depression, called a graben, or more commonly a half-graben ...
. The oceanisation is marked by the accretion of oceanic
basalts
Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90% of a ...
between the drifting continental blocks and the incursion of marine waters and species in the
rift
In geology, a rift is a linear zone where the lithosphere is being pulled apart and is an example of extensional tectonics.
Typical rift features are a central linear downfaulted depression, called a graben, or more commonly a half-grabe ...
basin.
[Brunn, J. H. "Ophiolites, origins of orogens and oceanisation." Ophiolites Proceedings of the International Symposium, Cyprus. 1979.]
References
Geology
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