Continental slope as a planetary morphostructure

Abstract

The continental slope is a planetary morphostructure of the World Ocean floor, part of the submerged continental margin which forms topographic and structural boundary between continental Uplifts and the ocean floor, its area is about 24,6 mln. sq. km. It is typical of so called passive continental margins (it is worth mentioning however that the widely used division of continental margins into passive and active ones seems contestable as the former are far from being tectonically passive while the latter are usually recent geosynclinal zones and not continental margins at all).

The continental slope evolution is closely connected with the continental rise but unlike the latter its base is formed by continental earthcrust, it is part of continental terrace. According to their origin, continental slopes are proposed to divide into tectonic accretion, tectonic fault, tectonic rift, accumulative accretion, accumulative coral reef. Even accumulative accretional slopes are steep due to erosional processes which are typical of continental slopes.