How steep is the continental shelf?
200 metres
What is the use of continental slope?
Over geologic time, the continental slopes are temporary depositional sites for sediments. During lowstands of sea level, rivers may dump their sedimentary burden directly on them. Sediments build up until the mass becomes unstable and sloughs off to the lower slope and the continental rise.
What does the continental rise look like?
Alluvial or sedimentary fans are shallow cone-shaped reliefs at the base of the continental slope that merge together, forming the continental rise. Erosional submarine canyons slope downward and lead to alluvial fan valleys with increasing depth.
How does a continental slope form?
The continental slope is the region where the relatively shallow continental shelf slants down to meet the deep ocean floor. They suspect that these intense currents, called boundary flows, lift sediments as the waves push into the continental slope, maintaining the angle of the slope through erosion.
What forms a continental rise?
Continental rises form as a result of three sedimentary processes: mass wasting, the deposition from contour currents, and the vertical settling of clastic and biogenic particles. The broad, gentle pitch of the continental shelf gives way to the relatively steep continental slope.
Where is continental slope located?
A continental slope is defined by the IHO as “the slope seaward from the shelf to the upper edge of a continental rise or the point where there is a general reduction of slope.
How far does the continental rise extend?
500 km
Where do we find the widest continental shelf?
Siberia
How much sunlight does the continental slope get?
The shelves makes up less than ten percent of the ocean, and a rough estimate suggest that only about 30% of the continental shelf sea floor receives enough sunlight to allow benthic photosynthesis.
What are the three types of continental shelves?
The shelf area is commonly subdivided into the inner continental shelf, mid continental shelf, and outer continental shelf, each with their specific geomorphology and marine biology. The character of the shelf changes dramatically at the shelf break, where the continental slope begins.
Why is the continental shelf so important?
Plants and algae make continental shelves rich feeding grounds for sea creatures. The shelves make up less than 10 percent of the total area of the oceans. Yet all of the ocean’s plants and many types of algae live in the sunny waters. In some places, deep canyons and channels cut through the continental shelves.
Where are Continental rises located?
The continental rise completely surrounds Antarctica covering 39.4% of the Southern Ocean (see Table), forming a halo of sediment surrounding the Antarctic continent. Example of continental rise (in yellow) and submarine fan (red) adjacent to the coast of southeastern Brazil.
Where is the widest and thickest continental rise?
The widest continental shelf in the world extends 1,210 km (750 miles) off the coast of Siberia, Russia, into the Arctic Ocean.