What are the differences between active and passive continental margins? What is the relationship between plate tectonics and the various features? Provide an example of each continental margin.
I can't seem to come up with an answer for the second question... Can anyone give me a hand?

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anonymous · Answer

An active margin corresponds to a plate boundary, where the plate on which the continent ride is riding over and subducting (pushing down) the plate carrying the ocean.  There's lots of earthquakes, sometimes volcanos, and very often a mountain range along the coast and a very steep drop offshore to a deep ocean. The west coast of North and South America are good examples.  A passive margin does not correspond to a boundary between plates, so nothing much happens and the drop-off from land to sea is gentle.  The east costs of North and South America are good examples.