slope continental margin 2013-10-18T00:04:57Z ENVO ENVO:01000298 EcoLexicon:continental_margin ORCID:0000-0002-4366-3088 SWEETRealm:ContinentalMargin The continental margin is the zone of the ocean floor that separates the thin oceanic crust from thick continental crust. Together, the continental shelf, continental slope, and continental rise are called continental margin. Continental margins constitute about 28% of the oceanic area.