Definition of Continental Shelf

At the bottom of the mass from Water covering our planet is a scenery amazing with thousands of volcanoes, mountain ranges and deep sea trenches. The seabed is one of the most active geological regions on the planet and its surface is known as the continental shelf. It is a region of the Earth that is not yet fully explored.

The geology of the seabed

The continental shelf is a shallow ledge that extends an average of 80 km sea inside and averages 130 meters below the surface.

Reliefs submerged below sea level can have two different geological origins. On the one hand, the reliefs of the margin continental, representing the continuation of the continents below sea level. On the other hand, there are the reliefs of the ocean floor.

The structures of the continental shelves are closely related to the reliefs that emerge above the Earth's surface

In the territories of the coastal plains, the continental shelves are usually extensive and gently sloping.

Following the continental shelf is the continental slope, which is a steeply sloping area. Next comes the foot of the slope, which is formed by the accumulation of fallen sediments and is the part that is in contact with the ocean floor.

Among the reliefs of the ocean floor are the abyssal plains, which are surfaces quite flat and covered with sediments (on these plains guyots or mounts submarines). The abyssal plains are interrupted by mid-ocean ridges, which are undersea ridges that extend across all oceans. Ocean trenches are the last submerged landform and their extent and depth are highly variable.

In relation to other areas

The study of continental shelves goes beyond geological issues. It should be remembered that the reliefs of the oceanic surface have a direct relationship with other areas: with the marine currents, with the jurisdiction of the waters and the right of the sea, with the study of volcanoes, with the installation submarine cables for telecommunications or with the exploitation of marine floors.

Photos: Fotolia - octomesecam / pandavector