Question

Explain the Continental Shelf, Continental Slope and Marine trenches present on the ocean bed

Answer 1

Instructions:

• Give an introduction
• Define the Continental shelf, Continental slope and Marine trenches

Solution:
The structure of ocean floor consists of various landforms
Continental Shelf:

1. The land near the coast and submerged under the sea is called continental shelf. This is the shallowest part of the ocean bed.
2. It is also called submerged coastland. Its slope is gentle. The extent of the continental shelf is not uniform everywhere.
3. It is narrow along the coasts of some continents while it is broad for hundreds of kilometres on others. Its depth is upto 200 meters below the sea level.
4. The Continental shelf has high economic importance.

Continental Slope:

1. After the extent of continental shelf is over, the slope of the seabed becomes steeper. This is called continental slope.
2. The depth of the slope is from 200 m to 3600 metres. In some places, it is more.
3. The continental slope is narrow. The lower boundary of continental slope is the boundary of continents.

Marine Trenches:

1. The structures present on the ocean floor which are deeper and extending for longer distances are called trenches.
2. The trenches are thousands of meters deep from sea level.
3. The Mariana Trench, in the Pacific Ocean, is the deepest trench in the world. Its depth is around 11034 metres.
4. These are geologically the most active areas of the ocean-bed in the world.