The eastern coast of South America is a passive margin, rather than a plate boundary.
On a passive continental margin, you can find thick sedimentary layers, wide continental shelves, and less seismic activity compared to an active continental margin.
A passive continental margin is not tectonically active, meaning it does not experience significant geological activity like earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. In contrast, an active continental margin is located near a tectonic plate boundary, leading to geological activity such as subduction zones, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.
Subduction. A subduction trench.
The portion of the continental margin that serves as a boundary between the oceanic crust and the continental crust is called the continental shelf. This is the shallowest part of the margin, located between the shoreline and the continental slope.
At a passive continental margin, you would find a continental shelf, which is the shallow, relatively flat platform extending from the shoreline, and a continental slope, which is a steeply sloping transition zone between the continental shelf and the deep ocean floor.
Passive continental margin.
On a passive continental margin, you can find thick sedimentary layers, wide continental shelves, and less seismic activity compared to an active continental margin.
A passive continental margin is not tectonically active, meaning it does not experience significant geological activity like earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. In contrast, an active continental margin is located near a tectonic plate boundary, leading to geological activity such as subduction zones, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.
On an active continental margin, you would be likely to find an active ocean trench. This structure would generally not occur at a passive continental margin.
Subduction. A subduction trench.
A continental rise.
Subduction. A subduction trench.
The portion of the continental margin that serves as a boundary between the oceanic crust and the continental crust is called the continental shelf. This is the shallowest part of the margin, located between the shoreline and the continental slope.
At a passive continental margin, you would find a continental shelf, which is the shallow, relatively flat platform extending from the shoreline, and a continental slope, which is a steeply sloping transition zone between the continental shelf and the deep ocean floor.
An active continental margin may have a trench.
Continental Margin
continental slope