Is the continental shelf generally narrower on the east or west coast of south america?
Answer Hi Stephanie The continental shelf is much narrower on the west side of both the American continents because the continental plates are moving in that direction, there is a “bulldozing” effect in front of moving land masses. The mass which should be an underwater shelf of about 200 miles is pushed below the plate or up to create mountains like the Andes and Rocky Ranges. In Chile there is hardly any shelf and ocean depth drops to thousands of feet just off the coast! The continental shelf of South America on the east side (Brazil/Argentina) is in parts very wide because the Andes cause 90% of precipitation to flow in extremely large rivers to the Atlantic also creating massive under-ocean deposits of silt on top of the already broader shelf!
