What happens on the continental slopes?

What happens on the continental slopes?

The continental slope (often referred to simply as “the slope”) is commonly dissected by submarine canyons; faulting, rifting and slumping of large blocks of sediment can form steep escarpments, relatively flat terraces and (under certain conditions) basins perched on the slope.

What is the continental slope called?

continental shelves
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. Continental shelves make up about 8 percent of the entire area covered by oceans.

What is the purpose of the continental slope?

Continental slopes are the edges of continental blocks, the zones of change from continental crust to oceanic crust. They are critical links in the chain of sedimentary processes that eventually carry sediment to the true ocean basin floor.

What is continental slope theory?

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. Even though they are underwater, continental shelves are part of the continent.

What is continental slope answer in brief?

A steep slope which descends from the edge of the continental shelf to the deep ocean- bed is called continental slope. It forms a boundary between the Continental Crust and the oceanic crust. This zone is free from deposits as they are steep. continental slope is the presence of deep canyons and trenches.

How is continental rise formed?

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.

How is a continental slope formed quizlet?

How is the continental slope formed? They are formed when muddy sediments are washed away or scraped off of the top of the continental plate. The structure then becomes unstable. When the edge becomes unstable, the sediments slough off and forms a continental slope.

How does the continental slope and continental rise differ from each other?

The continental rise on a passive continental margin is a zone of sediment deposition on slopes that are typically between 1 : 50 and 1 : 500 and occurs beyond the steeper continental slope, which is commonly incised by canyons. The continental rise consists principally of submarine fans.

Where does continental rise occur?

The continental rise is the gently inclined slope between the base of the continental slope and the deep ocean floor. It overlies the ocean crust bordering the faulted and fractured continental margin. It is the ultimate site of accumulation of sediment shed from the continent into the deep sea.

What happens when the slope of the continental shelf changes?

The depth at which the angle of the continental shelf changes is known as the shelf break. As the continental slope plunges into the deeper parts of the ocean, conditions quickly change. The water becomes much colder and more sluggish. It is also totally devoid of life, and oxygen levels decline as well.

Is the continental slope part of the continent?

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. Even though they are underwater, continental shelves are part of the continent.

Where does slumping occur on the continental slope?

Slumping often appears on the fracture belt at the upper continental slope, and gravity flow is often located below the slumping. But this doesn’t reflect that there is inevitable connection between them, slumping and gravity flow can occur at the same time, and they can also happen alone.

Is the water pressure higher at the bottom of the continental slope?

The water pressure on the sea floor at the top of the Continental Slope is more than 10 times higher than at the surface, and at the bottom of the slope the pressure can be more than 100 times higher than at the surface.