| continental shelf n. A submerged border of a continent that slopes gradually and extends to a point of steeper descent to the ocean bottom. |   |
continental shelf
n
(Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) 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 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. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  continental shelf - the relatively shallow (up to 200 meters) seabed surrounding a continentDavy Jones, Davy Jones's locker, ocean bottom, ocean floor, sea bottom, sea floor, seabed - the bottom of a sea or ocean |
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