Oceanic basin an active - and growing - oceanic basin include an elevated mid-ocean ridge, flanking abyssal hills leading down to abyssal plains. The elements of an active oceanic basin often include the oceanic trench associated with a subduction zone. The Atlantic ocean and the Arctic ocean are good examples of active, growing oceanic basins, whereas the Mediterranean Sea is shrinking. The Pacific Ocean is also an active, shrinking oceanic basin, even though it has both spreading ridge and oceanic trenches. Perhaps the best example of an inactive oceanic basin is the Gulf of Mexico, which formed in Jurassic times and has
Closed Basin Project Habitat Area. In this area the water table is very close to the surface. Water can evaporate directly from the soil or be taken up by plants such as salt grass, rabbit brush and greasewood, which release the water through evapotranspiration. The Closed Basin Project was authorized by Congress in 1972 to extract groundwater from the lowest part of the basin in an area that covers . Colorado uses the water as part of its contribution to the Rio Grande Compact of 1939, making more water available for irrigation in Colorado. It also helps the United States meet its 1906