r 



Figure 3. Fathogrom showing a profile of the continental slope and the shelf of the southern portion of the Bering Sea (see fig. 1 

 for the geographic location of the strip). Add 3.7 fathoms to indicated depths for true depth of bottom since fathometer projector 

 was 22 feet below surface. 



continental slopes. * Although a thin veneer of sediment may 

 cover this slope, it is too precipitous to be a depositional 

 feature and is probably a fault scarp. This interpretation is 

 strengthened by the presence, at the base of the slope, of the 

 seamounts, which may be volcanic masses extruded along the 

 fault line. It is likely that at least the deeper and more ir- 

 regular portion of the continental slope is rocky. 



* It is noteworthy that it has been previously estimated that 

 this Bering Sea continental slope has a declivity of only 5 de- 

 grees. This estimated figure was obtained by computing the 

 slope between soundings printed on published charts. This 

 usual method is obviously inadequate as compared to using 

 fathograms; it is likely that many continental slopes are 

 steeper than is commonly believed, especially by those writers 

 who have advocated a depositional origin of the continental 

 slopes. 



14 



