What is the continental shelf quizlet?
Continental shelf. a gently sloping, shallow area of the ocean floor that extends outward from the edge of a continent.
Is the continental shelf flat?
The continental shelf is a gently sloping and relatively flat extension of a continent that is covered by the oceans. The average slope of the shelf is about 10 ft/mi (1.9 m/km). That is, for every one kilometer of distance, the shelf drops 1.9 m in elevation until the shelf break is reached.
What are continental shelves?
A continental shelf is the edge of a continent that lies under the ocean. Continents are the seven main divisions of land on Earth. A continental shelf extends from the coastline of a continent to a drop-off point called the shelf break.
What is called continental shelf answer?
What is the continental shelf? It is the submarine prolongation of a coastal state’s landmass to the outer edge of the continental margin. The continental shelf falls under the coastal state’s jurisdiction. Areas beyond the continental margin are, however, part of the international seabed area.
What best describes the continental shelf?
Continental shelf, a broad, relatively shallow submarine terrace of continental crust forming the edge of a continental landmass. The geology of continental shelves is often similar to that of the adjacent exposed portion of the continent, and most shelves have a gently rolling topography called ridge and swale.
What is the seaward edge of the continental shelf?
Continental slope, seaward border of the continental shelf.
Which ocean is having the widest continental shelf?
the Arctic Ocean
The widest continental shelf in the world extends 1,210 km (750 miles) off the coast of Siberia, Russia, into the Arctic Ocean. Continental shelves are an extension of coastal plains and are characterised by broadly-sloping submerged plains.
Which is true of the continental shelf?
A continental shelf is the edge of a continent that lies under the ocean. Continents are the seven main divisions of land on Earth. A continental shelf extends from the coastline of a continent to a drop-off point called the shelf break. From the break, the shelf descends toward the deep ocean floor in what is called the continental slope.
Where are continental shelves found?
Normal continental shelves are found in the South China Sea, the North Sea, and the Persian Gulf and are usually about 80 km in width with a depth of 30-600 m.
What is the description of the continental shelf?
Definition of continental shelf : a shallow submarine plain of varying width forming a border to a continent and typically ending in a comparatively steep slope to the deep ocean floor technical : the part of a continent that lies under the ocean and slopes down to the ocean floor
What is the average depth of the continental shelf?
The continental shelf is characterized by a very gentle slope less than 1 degree. The average depth is about 150 m and it has an average width of 70 km. But local variations are common, ranging from more than 1000 km in the Arctic Ocean to a few kilometers along the Pacific coast of North and South America.