What makes up a passive continental margin?

What makes up a passive continental margin?

A passive continental margin occurs where the transition from land to sea is not associated with a plate boundary. The east coast of the United States is a good example; the plate boundary is located along the mid Atlantic ridge, far from the coast. Passive margins are less geologically active.

What are the main topographic features of a passive continental margin?

The Atlantic and Gulf coasts show the classic form of a passive continental margin: a low-lying coastal plain, broad continental shelf, then a steep continental slope, gentle continental rise, and flat abyssal plain. This topography is a consequence of the transition from thick continental to thin oceanic crust.

What is an example of a passive continental margin?

Examples of passive margins are the Atlantic and Gulf coastal regions which represent setting where thick accumulations of sedimentary materials have buried ancient rifted continental boundaries formed by the opening of the Atlantic Ocean basin.

Which three parts make up 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 …

What are three major features of a passive continental margin quizlet?

A passive continental margin is tectonically inactive and features a continental shelf, a continental slope, and a continental rise (from land toward the sea); An active continental margin is located along a convergent plate boundary, has a deep-ocean trench where subduction takes place, and may have evidence of an …

What are three parts of the continental margin?

What can you find at an active continental margin that you won’t find at a passive continental margin?

Active margins are marked by earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain belts. Unlike passive margins, they lack a continental rise and abyssal plain.

What are the three types of continental shelves?

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.