Hypsography of the continents and ocean floor 

    Hypsometry is the measurement of land elevation (relative to mean sea level). Bathymetry is the underwater equivalent.

A hypsometric curve is a histogram or cumulative distribution function of elevations in a geographical area.

        Continental margin

Continental margin, the submarine edge of the continental crust distinguished by relatively light and isostatically high-floating material in comparison with the adjacent oceanic crust. It is the name for the collective area that encompasses the continental shelf, continental slope, and continental rise. Continental margins are about 28% of the oceanic area.

A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves has been exposed during glacial periods.  

        The continental shelf (approx 0.1°), steep continental slope is (avg 3°), followed by the flatter continental rise (0.5° - 1°), formed due to the accumulates as a pile of sediment at the base of the slope. Extending as far as 500 km from the slope, it consists of thick sediments deposited by turbidity currents from the shelf and slope. 

The continental margin with all the above-mentioned features will come under Passive margin, if not properly developed due to the tectonic disturbance, then they are called ‘active continental margin’.