write a short note on continental shelf
Answers
A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water known as a shelf sea. Much of the shelves were exposed during glacial periods and interglacial periods. The shelf surrounding an island is known as an insular shelf.
Its a region of continent submerged under region of relatively shallow water called shelf sea.
Much of shelves was exposed during glacial periods and inter-glacial periods.
Shelf surrounding an island is called as an insular shelf.
Continental margin between continental shelf and abyssal plain comprises steep continental slope followed by flatter continental rise.
Sediment from continent above glides down slope and gathers as pile of sediment at base of slope called continental rise.
Stretching to 500 km from slope where it consists of thick sediments gathered by turbidity currents from shelf and slope.
Continental rise's gradient is intermediate between slope and shelf.