How long is the continental shelf?

Along parts of the U.S. state of California, for example, the continental shelf extends less than a kilometer (. 62 miles). But along the northern coast of Siberia, the shelf extends about 1,290 kilometers (800 miles). The average width of a continental shelf is 65 kilometers (40 miles).

1. How far does the continental shelf extend?
2. How long is the continental rise?
3. Can the continental shelf be occupied?
4. What is beyond the continental shelf?
5. What is continental shelf limit?
6. How do you measure a continental shelf?
7. What is the continental shelf?
8. How steep is the continental rise?
9. How deep is the continental slope?
10. What is the 200 nautical mile limit?
11. Do islands have continental shelf?
12. Is the Deepest Indian Ocean Trench?
13. What are the 5 zones of the ocean?
14. How deep is the Mariana Trench?
15. Which is the largest continental shelf?

How far does the continental shelf extend?

A continental shelf typically extends from the coast to depths of 100–200 metres (330–660 feet). It is gently inclined seaward at an average slope of about 0.1°.

How long is the continental rise?

Most continental rises occur adjacent to passive continental margins; the continental rise covers more than 27.1 million km² adjacent to passive margins and less than 2.3 million km² adjacent to active margins.

Can the continental shelf be occupied?

The rights of the coastal State over the continental shelf do not depend on occupation, effective or notional, or on any express proclamation.

What is beyond the continental shelf?

The oceanic zone is typically defined as the area of the ocean lying beyond the continental shelf (such as the Neritic zone), but operationally is often referred to as beginning where the water depths drop to below 200 meters (660 feet), seaward from the coast into the open ocean with its Pelagic zone.

What is continental shelf limit?

The continental shelf may not extend beyond 350 nautical miles (648 km) or, alternatively, more than 100 nautical miles (185 km) beyond the point at which the seabed lies at a depth of 2 500 metres.

How do you measure a continental shelf?

According to the Convention, the continental shelf of a coastal State comprises the submerged prolongation of the land territory of the coastal State - the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond its territorial sea to the outer edge of the continental margin, or to a distance of 200 nautical miles ...

What is the continental shelf?

A continental shelf is the edge of a continent that lies under the ocean. Continents are the seven main divisions of land on Earth. A continental shelf extends from the coastline of a continent to a drop-off point called the shelf break.

How steep is the continental rise?

Slope. Because the continental rise lies below the continental slope and is formed from sediment deposition, it has a very gentle slope, usually ranging from 1:50 to 1:500.

How deep is the continental slope?

The continental slope extends from the shelf break to water depths typically of around 3,000–4,000 m where an abrupt change in gradient delimits the foot of slope.

What is the 200 nautical mile limit?

The U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extends no more than 200 nautical miles from the territorial sea baseline and is adjacent to the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of the U.S., including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands ...

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.

Is the Deepest Indian Ocean Trench?

The Indian Ocean's average depth is 12,274 feet (3,741 metres), and its deepest point, in the Sunda Deep of the Java Trench off the southern coast of the island of Java (Indonesia), is 24,442 feet (7,450 metres).

What are the 5 zones of the ocean?

The ocean is divided into five zones: the epipelagic zone, or upper open ocean (surface to 650 feet deep); the mesopelagic zone, or middle open ocean (650-3,300 feet deep); the bathypelagic zone, or lower open ocean (3,300-13,000 feet deep); the abyssopelagic zone, or abyss (13,000-20,000 feet deep); and the ...

How deep is the Mariana Trench?

It is 11,034 meters (36,201 feet) deep, which is almost 7 miles. Tell students that if you placed Mount Everest at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the peak would still be 2,133 meters (7,000 feet) below sea level. Show students NOAA's Mariana Trench animation.

Which is the largest continental shelf?

The largest shelf – the Siberian Shelf in the Arctic Ocean – stretches to 1,500 kilometers (930 mi) in width. The South China Sea lies over another extensive area of continental shelf, the Sunda Shelf, which joins Borneo, Sumatra, and Java to the Asian mainland.