ABSTRACT
Atlantic and Pacific types of margin influence sea management in different ways [IOC, 1984, 77-80]. As is well known, the Atlantic margins are made up of all the components of the continental margins-i.e. shelf, slope and rise-and are seismically inactive. By contrast, the Pacific margins consist of the shelf, slope and a deep trench and can be found in two sub-types: the Chilean type, which has a narrow shelf with a trench below the slope, and the Marianas type, which has a shallow marginal basin separating the continent from the island-arc and trench. Pacific margins are seismically active.
