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continental shelf
noun
: a shallow submarine plain of varying width forming a border to a continent and typically ending in a comparatively steep slope to the deep ocean floor
Examples of continental shelf in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The cruise covered an area more than 600 miles long and crisscrossed waters above the 125-mile wide continental shelf, documenting widespread ocean heating.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 14 Feb. 2023
Most of them tend to hang out away from the beaches in the continental shelf waters, Hueter said.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2024
The Parliament approved legislation that allows companies to apply for permits to prospect for minerals across 280,000 square kilometers (108,000 square miles) of Norway’s continental shelf in the Arctic — an area bigger than Ecuador.
—Todd Woody, Fortune Europe, 13 Jan. 2024
Plus, about one-third of the area Norway has opened up overlaps with the continental shelf and fishery protection zone around the Svalbard archipelago.
—Eliza Gkritsi, WIRED, 12 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for continental shelf
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'continental shelf.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1892, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of continental shelf was
in 1892
Dictionary Entries Near continental shelf
Cite this Entry
“Continental shelf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/continental%20shelf. Accessed 12 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
continental shelf
noun
: a shallow submarine plain of varying width forming a border to a continent and typically ending at the continental slope
More from Merriam-Webster on continental shelf
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about continental shelf
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