Patagonian Shelf facts for kids
The Patagonian Shelf, also known as the Argentine Shelf, is a large underwater area that is part of the South American continental shelf. It lies off the coast of Argentina in the Atlantic Ocean, south of about 35°S latitude. This important underwater region touches the coasts of Uruguay, Argentina, and the Falkland Islands.
Think of a continental shelf as the edge of a continent that is covered by shallow ocean water. The Patagonian Shelf is one of the widest continental shelves in the world.
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What is the Patagonian Shelf?
The Patagonian Shelf is a vast underwater plain that extends from the land into the ocean. It's like a giant, gently sloping underwater terrace. Scientists measure its size in different ways, but it covers a huge area, roughly between 1.2 and 2.7 million square kilometers. That's a lot of underwater space!
How Wide is the Patagonian Shelf?
The shelf can be very wide, reaching between 760 and 850 kilometers at its widest points. Near the coast, the seabed slopes down gently, about 1 meter for every kilometer. Further out, it becomes a wide, flat plain, stretching for 250 to 450 kilometers. This flat area gently slopes down to a depth of about 200 meters.
What is the Falklands Plateau?
To the east of the Falkland Islands, there's a special part of the shelf called the Falklands Plateau. Beyond this plateau, the seabed drops much more steeply, sometimes as much as 10 meters for every kilometer. This leads to much deeper waters, reaching 2000 meters or more.
What is the Falklands Trough?
The Falklands Trough is a deep, narrow valley on the ocean floor. It acts like a natural boundary, separating the Patagonian Shelf from another underwater feature called the Scotia Arc.
