Does Antarctica have a continental shelf?
The Antarctic continental shelf (figure 1) is typically about 500 m deep, and the distance from the Antarctic ice sheet or coastline to the shelf break varies from tens (in East Antarctica or the West Antarctic Peninsula) to hundreds of kilometres (in the Ross or Weddell Seas).
What is the outer limit of continental shelf?
350 nautical miles
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.
What are the three zone in continental shelf?
The continental shelf and the slope are part of the continental margin. The shelf area is commonly subdivided into the inner continental shelf, mid continental shelf, and outer continental shelf, each with their specific geomorphology and marine biology.
What is Isobath continental shelf?
Coastal countries have exclusive rights to resources located within the continental shelf, which legally is defined as the seabed up to roughly 370 km (200 nautical miles) from shore or to the outer edge of the continental margin, whichever is farther, subject to an overall limit of about 650 km (350 nautical miles) …
What is the difference between continental shelf and continental slope?
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. From the break, the shelf descends toward the deep ocean floor in what is called the continental slope. The widths of the continental shelves vary.
What are three characteristics of the continental slope?
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 are the limits of the continental shelf?
What is the difference between the continental slope and continental rise?
3 – The continental slope is made of continental crust, but the continental rise is made of sediment. When sea level drops, parts of the continental shelves are the first to be exposed. The continental shelves are the shallowest parts of the continental margins, so if sea level drops, they are the first to be exposed.
What is the difference between EEZ and continental shelf?
What is the difference between the continental shelf and the EEZ? The continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) are distinct maritime zones. The continental shelf includes only the seabed and subsoil; whereas the EEZ includes the water column. The ECS is, therefore, not an extension of the EEZ.