epicontinental

[ ep-i-kon-tn-en-tl ]

adjective

1. found or located in or on a continent:

   epicontinental minerals; an epicontinental sea.

epicontinental

/ ˌɛpɪˌkɒntɪˈnɛntəl /

adjective

1. (esp of a sea) situated on a continental shelf or continent

Word History and Origins

Origin of epicontinental¹

First recorded in 1900–05; epi- + continental

Example Sentences

They were epicontinental seas; that is, they rested upon (Greek, epi) the submerged portion of the continental plateau.

From Project Gutenberg

We can hardly account for this except by a shallow-water connection between the two ancient epicontinental seas.

From Project Gutenberg

The epicontinental sea was shoaled and narrowed, and muds were washed in from the adjacent lands.

From Project Gutenberg

The known deposits all point to shallow waters of epicontinental seas; no abyssal formations have been recognized.

From Project Gutenberg