continental shelf

noun

Physical Geography.

1. the part of a continent that is submerged in relatively shallow sea.

continental shelf

noun

1. the sea bed surrounding a continent at depths of up to about 200 metres (100 fathoms), at the edge of which the continental slope drops steeply to the ocean floor

continental shelf

1. The part of the edge of a continent between the shoreline and the continental slope. It is covered by shallow ocean waters and has a very gentle slope.

continental shelf

1. The region adjoining the coastline of a continent, where the ocean is no more than a few hundred feet deep. The shelf is built up from sediments washed down to the sea by rivers.

The continental shelves are often valuable because of the mineral resources and abundant marine life found there. (See offshore drilling.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of continental shelf¹

First recorded in 1940–45