Marine Shelf Environments
• Where is the shelf?
– The continental margin
• Pericontinental vs. epicontinental (epeiric)
Marine Shelf Environments
• Parts
– Inner, middle, outer shelf
• Important Factors
• Setting
– Passive vs. active
• Barriers
• Movement of sediment
Marine Shelf Environments
• Important Factors
• Sediment supply
• Climate
– Sediment type
– Storms
• S/L history
Marine Shelf Environments
• Marine processes - Waves and Tides
• Sediment transport
• Ocean waves
– What causes them, how do they move, and what happens when they near
shore?
Marine Shelf Environments
• Wave processes
– Setup - swash
– Longshore drift
Marine Shelf Environments
• Storm-dominated shelves
• HCS
• Proximal to distal trends