Guyots –   Guyots (pronounced “Ghe Oh’s”) are “an isolated (or group of) seamount (s) having a comparatively smooth flat top. Also called tablemount(s)” (IHO, 2008).  Harris et al. (2014) mapped 283 guyots covering a total area of 707,600 km2.  Guyots have an average area of 2,500 km2, more than twice the average area of seamounts.  Nearly 50% of guyot area and 42% of the number of guyots occur in the North Pacific Ocean, covering 342,070 km2 (see Table).  The largest three guyots are all in the North Pacific: the Kuko Guyot (estimated 24,600 km2), Suiko Guyot (estimated 20,220 km2) and the Pallada Guyot (estimated 13,680 km2).

Bathymetric false-colour image of the Gifford Guyot, located in the Tasman Sea east of Australia (after Geoscience Australia: http://www.ga.gov.au/ausgeonews/ausgeonews200803/survey.jsp

Statistics on guyots (after Harris et al., 2014)

For details of guyot evolution and biota, see entry for “seamounts.

OceanGuyot Area km2Guyot Area%Guyot NumberMean Guyot size km2
Arctic 00.0000
Indian Ocean67,0100.0941282,390
Mediterranean & Black Sea 2,8000.092621,400
North Atlantic Ocean31,6400.070783,960
North Pacific Ocean499,9900.6101194,200
South Atlantic Ocean133,7100.331433,110
South Pacific Ocean187,9000.215772,440
Southern Ocean13,8700.068262,310
All Oceans936,9200.2592833,310
References

Harris, P.T., MacMillan-Lawler, M., Rupp, J., Baker, E.K., 2014. Geomorphology of the oceans. Marine Geology 352, 4-24.

IHO, 2008. Standardization of Undersea Feature Names: Guidelines Proposal form Terminology, 4th ed. International Hydrographic Organisation and Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, Monaco, p. 32. http://www.iho.int/iho_pubs/bathy/B-6_e4_EF_Nov08.pdf