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
Recent Examples on the Web
The continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico extends far offshore, up to 150 miles in some spots, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
—
Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2024
Construction of such a berm, the researchers calculated, would require about three and a half billion cubic feet of gravel and sand, which, conveniently enough, could be excavated from Greenland’s continental shelf.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
That large expanse of shallow continental shelf waters offshore from Tampa Bay (less than 300 feet deep out to 90 miles offshore) is conducive for allowing large storm surges to build, Masters said.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 7 Oct. 2024
The continental shelf of the Florida Gulf Coast extends quite far offshore – up to 150 miles in some spots, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – leaving the shallow waters nowhere to go.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for continental shelf 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2024
Construction of such a berm, the researchers calculated, would require about three and a half billion cubic feet of gravel and sand, which, conveniently enough, could be excavated from Greenland’s continental shelf.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
That large expanse of shallow continental shelf waters offshore from Tampa Bay (less than 300 feet deep out to 90 miles offshore) is conducive for allowing large storm surges to build, Masters said.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 7 Oct. 2024
The continental shelf of the Florida Gulf Coast extends quite far offshore – up to 150 miles in some spots, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – leaving the shallow waters nowhere to go.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for continental shelf
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 13 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share