Continental Slope

Real World Example

Imagine you're at a swimming pool, and you're walking from the shallow end towards the deep end, where the bottom suddenly drops off steeply. This abrupt change in depth is like the continental slope, which marks the transition from the gradually descending continental shelf to the much deeper ocean floor. Just as you experience a sudden, steep decline in the pool, the ocean floor also undergoes a steep drop at the continental slope, indicating a shift from the shallow waters of the continental shelf to the deep abyssal plains of the ocean.