Continental Margins – Earth’s Focal Points in Usage and Hazard Potential
Continental margins mark the boundaries between the continents and the oceans. Thanks to their particular geological situation, these areas are especially rich in raw material deposits — but they are also the places where extreme natural phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tidal waves occur. Continental margins therefore harbour a considerable risk potential, particularly as they are often very densely populated. Today, more than 60% of the world’s population live within 100 kilometres of the coasts of the planet’s oceans.
Risk potential is especially high along tectonically active continental margins such as the Pacific rim. More than 90% of all global earthquake activity, and almost all of the world’s highly explosive volcanoes are concentrated at active continental margins.
Passive continental margins such as the eastern coast of North and South America, on the other hand, are tectonically inactive — there are no volcanoes, and earthquakes occur only rarely. However, both types of continental margins have extensive deposits of mineral resources yet to be fully exploited.
The continental margins are among the world’s most important populated areas and economic regions, and demographic and economic studies all agree that their significance will increase still further in the future. As such, they have become a major focus of global research.
The GEOTECHNOLOGIEN programme promotes this research theme with the aim of bringing together the existing geoscientific expertise in Germany and making it available to internationally coordinated networks.
