Mascarene Basin

Mascarene Basin

 

a depression in the western part of the Indian Ocean. It is separated from neighboring basins by the Mascarene Ridge and the island of Madagascar. The floor of the basin (maximum depth, 5,349 m) is a smooth or undulating plain with areas of hilly terrain and individual mountains with both submarine (Mount Bardin, 1,523 m) and abovewater peaks (the island of Tromelin; elevation, 5 m). Sediments consist of foraminiferal ooze, with red deepwater clays in the southern part (thickness of sediments, 200-400 m; near Madagascar, to 700 m and more).