Where is the end of the continental shelf?

Where is the end of the continental shelf?

The shelf usually ends at a point of increasing slope (called the shelf break). The sea floor below the break is the continental slope. Below the slope is the continental rise, which finally merges into the deep ocean floor, the abyssal plain.

What is beyond the continental shelf?

Extending out from a continent’s edge is a gently sloping, shallow area called the continental shelf (F). Beyond this slope is the abyssal plain (C), a smooth and nearly flat area of the ocean floor. In some places, deep, steep-sided canyons called trenches (G) cut into the abyssal plain.

How far out does the continental shelf extend?

200 nautical miles
According to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, every nation has a continental shelf extending no more than 200 nautical miles from the nation’s coastline.

Do islands have continental shelf?

Islands. Islands possess the same maritime zones as other landmasses, including a territorial sea, contiguous zone, EEZ, and continental shelf. Islands do not need to be inhabited to create those maritime zones; they only need to be capable of sustaining human habitation or economic life.

Do islands have a continental shelf?

Islands. Islands possess the same maritime zones as other landmasses, including a territorial sea, contiguous zone, EEZ, and continental shelf.

Why are territorial waters 12 miles?

For a long time, territorial seas stretched as far as a state could exercise control from land. With the negotiation of the 1982 United Nations Law of the Sea Convention, the allowed breadth of a territorial sea claim was extended to 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers).

Which portion of the continental margin begins where the continental shelf ends?

The continental slope can be considered the edge of the continent. It begins at the shelf break and ends at the sea floor. At the base of the continental slope is the continental rise. Here, sediments from the continent wash down the slope and can accumulate to depths as thick as 6 miles!

Which of the following is part of the continental margin?

The continental margins consist of three portions: (1) the continental shelf which has shallow water depths rarely deeper than 650 ft) and extends seaward from the shoreline to distances ranging from 12.3 miles to 249 miles, (2) the continental slope where the bottom drops off to depths of up to 3.1 miles, and (3) the …