Passive continental margins are characterized by all of the following except: very little volcanic and earthquake activity. deep-sea trenches. shallow coastal waters. thick sediment accumulation. broad continental shelf.

Passive continental margins unlike active margins have little volcanic and earthquake activities, tectonic activities are minimal and are as a result of erosion of weathering and erosion activities, hence a large accumulation of sediments. They are also characterised by a relatively wide continental shelf. An example is the Amazon River, whose source is in the Andes Mountains (the active margin) drains east across the interior of South America to the coast, where it enters the Atlantic Ocean and deposits the tremendous volume of sedimentary materials it eroded from the continent.