continental shelf
4
5.5
- noun
- /ˌkɒntɪˈnɛntl ʃɛlf/
- Specialized
:
plataforma continental
- As sea level rose over the last 10,000 years, it flooded the continental shelf with seawater.
- the outer continental shelf
- continental shelf claims
- continental shelf boundary
I think there is some concern about paying royalties for exploration in the extended continental shelf.
- I think there is some concern about paying royalties for exploration in the extended continental shelf.
Examples
-
Third, the value of mineral resources on the continental shelf has led states to claim this wealth for their own nationals.
Academic text (1992) -
On the edge of the continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico, a team of scientists prepare to dive
-
And maybe the evidence is somewhere out there on the continental shelf still waiting to be found.
Academic text (2006) -
Our first destination, not far below the surface, is the continental shelf
-
Imagine yourself scuba diving off the California coast, out by the continental shelf.
Fiction book (1991) -
We weren't expecting such flows to have reached so far away from the continental shelf.
Blog text (19) -
The continental shelf boundary between Ireland and the United Kingdom follows a complicated series of "stair-stepped" lines.
Academic text (2005) -
Surrounding nearly all continents, the continental shelf is a shallow ledge that stretches, on average, 50 miles out to sea.
-
Atlantic menhaden are believed to spawn in oceanic waters over much of the continental shelf and in bays.
Academic text (1991) -
Many marine species thrive in the nutrient-rich waters of the continental shelf near the coast.
Synonyms
42
3.7
A flat ledge of rock that juts out from a mountain or the sea floor
How Shallow
- Specialized
4
5.5
- Specialized
1
7.4
- Specialized
1
9.4
3
4.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'continental' (of a continent) plus 'shelf' (a flat projection of land/seabed) yields a shallow seabed area extending from the coast. This construction is transparent and mirrored in many languages (e.g., 'plataforma continental' in Spanish), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reliably infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Continental shelf comes from a simple sea picture: imagine the continental land continuing under the water as a flat shelf that stretches out from the coast and then drops down into the deep ocean. So, the term describes the wide area of seabed that is relatively 'shallow' next to a continent.