Illustration of continental shelf
- 1 seashore
- 2 continental shelf
- 3 continental slope
- 4 abyssal plain
- 5 seamount
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
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The tracking data also showed more variability in locations than scientists expected, as the little turtles moved between continental shelf waters and open ocean.
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Christina Larson, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2025
The staff oversees 480 million acres of public lands as well as subsurface minerals such as oil and gas, and the outer continental shelf.
—Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 20 Dec. 2024
In a standalone executive order, which had been widely expected, the president temporarily suspended new or renewed leases for offshore and onshore wind projects and halted the leasing of wind power projects on the outer continental shelf.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2025
The memorandum temporarily prevents the consideration of wind farm leases in areas on the US outer continental shelf—parts of the ocean floor that lie beyond state coastal waters.
—Matt Reynolds, WIRED, 21 Jan. 2025
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Christina Larson, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2025
The staff oversees 480 million acres of public lands as well as subsurface minerals such as oil and gas, and the outer continental shelf.
—Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 20 Dec. 2024
In a standalone executive order, which had been widely expected, the president temporarily suspended new or renewed leases for offshore and onshore wind projects and halted the leasing of wind power projects on the outer continental shelf.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2025
The memorandum temporarily prevents the consideration of wind farm leases in areas on the US outer continental shelf—parts of the ocean floor that lie beyond state coastal waters.
—Matt Reynolds, WIRED, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for continental shelf
Cite this Entry
“Continental shelf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/continental%20shelf. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
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