The term “continental shelf” is used by geologists generally to mean that part of the continental margin which is between the shoreline and the shelf break or, where there is no noticeable slope, between the shoreline and the point where the depth of the superjacent water is approximately between 100 and 200 metres.

Continental slope – The slope is “the deepening sea floor out from the shelf edge to the upper limit of the continental rise, or the point where there is a general decrease in steepness” (IHO, 2008). On average, the slope is a narrow band ~41 km wide that encircles all continents and islands.

It does not include the deep ocean floor. The significance of the continental shelf is that it may contain valuable minerals and shellfish. UNCLOS addresses the issue of jurisdiction over these resources by allocating sovereign rights to the coastal State for exploration and exploitation.

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.

Dover sole, sablefish, and rockfish have this type of life history; however, most species living deeper, such as rattails, deep- sea soles, and slickheads, have young that live in the same depths as the adults. Relatively few species occur at all or most depths on the Continental Slope.

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. The widths of the continental shelves vary.

In the Pacific Ocean, somewhere between Guam and the Philippines, lies the Marianas Trench, also known as the Mariana Trench. At 35,814 feet below sea level, its bottom is called the Challenger Deep — the deepest point known on Earth.

The Indian Ocean has the fewest trenches of any of the world’s oceans. The narrow (50 miles [80 km]),… Both types of subduction zones are associated with large earthquakes that originate at a depth of as much as 700 km (435 miles).

The Mariana Trench was formed through a process called subduction. Today, the majority of the Mariana Trench is a U.S. protected zone as part of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, established in 2009.

Why are most oceanic trenches found in the Pacific Ocean? The Pacific Ocean is shrinking and plates are descending below surrounding plates along its edges, hence the creation of trenches.

Pacific Ocean

Which best describes an ocean trench? A deep, curved depression near the margin of a continent or chain of volcanic islands. Lava erupts from the mid-ocean ridge and is carried away as the floor of the ocean spreads apart.

The countdown begins from the fifth largest leading up to the biggest gulf in the world!

• #5 – The Persian Gulf. Hint.
• #4 – Hudson Bay.
• #3 – Gulf of Alaska.
• #2 – The Gulf of Guinea.
• #1 – The Gulf of Mexico.

Gulf of California

Bahrain

The team stood shin-deep in the warm waters of the Persian Gulf, surrounded by the small and slowly circling sharks. The creatures are harmless to humans, preferring a diet of snake eels, shrimps, crabs and squid.