Continental margins may be geologically active or passive.
Active margin occur along tectonic plate boundaries where earthquakes and/or volcanoes are common
Passive margins are not associated with plate boundaries, experiencing little volcanism and relativety fewer earthquakes.
The Atlantic Ocean's continental shelf is a passive margin so the Ocean Exploration Hudson Canyon, Deep East and Islands in the Stream expedition foused on features of passive margins.ฝ
The continental slope is an abrupt drop. Sediments on the steep slope are largely soft mud.
The slope flattens at the bottom where sediment slides pile up, forming the continental rise.
Its thick sediment accumulations have fallen from the continental shelf-down the slope, sometimes quite abruptly.
Turbidity currents form deep-sea sediment fans at the base of the slope.
Fine sediments suspended by currents cause water to become murky or turbid.
Turbidity currents-down-slope movements of sediment-laden water-continuously