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Passive margin
Transition between oceanic and continental lithosphere that is not an active plate margin / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A passive margin is the transition between oceanic and continental lithosphere that is not an active plate margin. A passive margin forms by sedimentation above an ancient rift, now marked by transitional lithosphere. Continental rifting forms new ocean basins. Eventually the continental rift forms a mid-ocean ridge and the locus of extension moves away from the continent-ocean boundary. The transition between the continental and oceanic lithosphere that was originally formed by rifting is known as a passive margin.
![]() | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (October 2016) |
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Passive_Contiental_Margin.jpg/640px-Passive_Contiental_Margin.jpg)