Consider the following statements about continental shelf:(i) It is th...
Answer:d
Explanation: It is the shallowest part of the ocean showing an average gradient of 1° or even less. The average width of continental shelves is about 80 km. The shelves are almost absent or very narrow along some of the margins like the coasts of Chile, the west coast of Sumatra, etc. On the contrary, the Siberian shelf in the Arctic Ocean, the largest in the world, stretches to 1,500 km in width.
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Consider the following statements about continental shelf:(i) It is th...
Statement (i): It is the shallowest part of the ocean.
This statement is incorrect. The continental shelf is actually the submerged part of a continent that extends from the shoreline to the shelf break, which is the point where the seafloor drops off steeply. It is a relatively flat and gently sloping undersea extension of the continent. The depth of the continental shelf varies depending on factors such as tectonic activity, sea level changes, and sediment accumulation. In some areas, the continental shelf can be quite deep, while in others it may be relatively shallow. Therefore, it is not the shallowest part of the ocean.
Statement (ii): The Siberian shelf is the largest in the world.
This statement is also incorrect. The Siberian shelf is indeed one of the largest continental shelves in the world, but it is not the largest. The largest continental shelf is found off the coast of Russia's Arctic region, specifically in the East Siberian Sea, Laptev Sea, and Chukchi Sea. It extends for thousands of kilometers and covers an area of about 2.6 million square kilometers. This vast continental shelf is known as the "Eastern Siberian-Beaufort Shelf." It is larger than the Siberian shelf, making statement (ii) incorrect.
Conclusion:
Both statements (i) and (ii) are incorrect. The continental shelf is not the shallowest part of the ocean, and the Siberian shelf is not the largest in the world.
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