submarine trough of the eastern Scotia Sea, a part of the South Atlantic Ocean southeast of Argentina. Its midpoint lies about 1,300 miles (2,000 km) east of Tierra del Fuego; the basin extends about 700 miles (1,100 km) east-west and about 300 miles (500 km) north-south. Bounded by the island of South Georgia to the north and by the South Sandwich Islands to the east, East Scotia Basin has an average depth of 5,000 feet (1,500 m) and lies within the 2,700-mile- (4,340-kilometre-) long loop made by the Scotia Ridge that supports these islands. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current flows from west to east in the basin. East Scotia Basin is separated from West Scotia Basin by a minor submerged rise running between South Georgia and the South Orkney Islands. Most of the basin floor is covered by oozes made up of the skeletons of diatoms and foraminifera; in some areas, manganese nodules are found.