What is sea margin?

Sea margin or continental margin or coastal margin refers to the submerged fringes or edges of continents. It includes both submerged and emerged coastal plains, continental shelf, slope and rise. Their topography and composition are the outcome of the combination of tectonic processes and wave action and current activity in the adjoining sea.

As a major geological province of the earth, they cover some 28 per cent of the total surface area of the globe.

On the basis of their configuration and evolution, the continental margins are of three types:

1. Passive Margins

2. Active Margins

3. Transform or Conservative Margins