The shelf is generally a broad, gen

The shelf is generally a broad, gently slopping platform
that extends from the shoreline to the continental slope.
It has thick accumulations of both coarse and fine-grained
sediments. Since fine particles remain suspended in the
water column longer than larger or denser particles, finer
and lighter particles are carried farther, often to the edge
of the shelf, before they settle. Consequently, slope and
deep-sea sediments tend to be finer grained.