continental slope

American  

noun

Physical Geography.

1. a steep slope separating a continental shelf and a deep ocean basin.

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continental slope Scientific  

1. The sloping region between a continental shelf and a continental rise. A continental slope is typically about 20 km (12.4 mi) wide, consists of muds and silts, and is often crosscut by submarine canyons.

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Etymology

Origin of continental slope

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

This ancestor lived on the continental slope before transitioning to the open waters of the bathypelagic zone in a transition that set the stage for rapid evolutionary change.

From Science Daily

The offshore samples, which were collected north of the continental slope and the Antarctic Slope Current, contained the highest concentrations of microplastics.

From Science Daily

Contourites are often found on continental slopes or around deep-sea mountains.

From Science Daily

Onshore groundwater that flows through the subsurface and offshore brings nutrients and chemicals that sustain delicate marine communities in places along the continental slope.

From Scientific American

This would extend the Bering Sea boundary west and south to Alaska’s Fox Islands, through Unimak Pass to the edge of the continental slope, the agency said in a statement.

From Seattle Times