 |
|
Bathymetry Modeler |
|
|||
| |||
|
Continental Margins: Continental Slope Continental Shelf | Submarine Canyons | Continental Rise |
|||
The transition from the gently sloping continental shelf to the deep ocean basin is called the continental slope. Here, the ocean depth increases rapidly, reaching several thousand meters within a few kilometers. At the base of the continental slope is the boundary between the continental crust and the oceanic crust. The slope is formed by sediments washing over the edge of the slope or scraping off of a subducting plate. Generally, continental slopes located at active margins, for example the Chile Trench, are steeper than those located at passive margins like the those in the Drake Passage. |
|||
| Click on an image below to investigate that area. | |||
|
|||
Copyright Notice