The Oceans - Chapter 1: Continental Margins Flashcards
What are the zones that make up the continental margin?
continental shelf
continental slope
continental rise
This is the gently sloping submerged surface extending from the shoreline toward the deep ocean basin
Continental shelf
True or false: the continental shelf is considered a flooded extension of the continents
True
On average, the continental shelf is about ____ miles wide
50
Why are continental shelfs lucrative?
They are sites of important mineral deposits and can contain petroleum and natural gas
The continental slope marks the _______ of the continental shelf
seaward edge
The continental slope leads into deep water and has a ______ compared to the shelf
steep gradient
The continental slope represents the ____ of the continent
true edge
In regions where ___ don’t exist, the steep continental slope merges into a more gradual include known as the continental rise
trenches
The continental rise consists of a thick accumulation of ____ that moved downslope from the continental shelf
sediment
The sediments comprising the continental rise are delivered to the base of the continental slope by _______ that follow submarine canyons
turbidity currents
When the muddy turbidity currents emerge from the mouth of a canyon onto the relatively flat ocean floor, they deposit sediment that forms a ____
deep sea fan
The shallow water sediments are interbedded with _____ that formed during earlier periods of coral reef building (a process that only occurs in shallow water)
limestone
Vast quantities of sediments and sedimentary rocks associated with the accumulation of material on the passive margins are important because they play a role in ___ processes (the materials that are deformed)
tectonic
What is a good example of a continental slope descending to a trench and not a shelf? (Hint: it’s in the Pacific and is a product of convergent plates)
Andes Mountains to floor of Peru-Chile trench
