![]() ![]() On the shelf and on the slope that dips downward to the abyssal plain, buried salt domes occur at various depths economically important deposits of oil and natural gas are associated with them. ![]() The remainder of the shelf consists of sand, silt, and clay sediments. Off the west coast of Florida as well as off the Yucatán Peninsula, the continental shelf consists of a broad area composed primarily of carbonate material. The continental shelf forms an almost continuous terrace around the margin of the gulf its width varies from a maximum of more than 200 miles (320 km) to a minimum of about 25 miles (40 km). The coastal zone consists of tidal marshes, sandy beaches, mangrove-covered areas, and many bays, estuaries, and lagoons. The Gulf of Mexico consists of several ecological and geologic provinces, chief of which are the coastal zone, the continental shelf, the continental slope, and the abyssal plain. Physical features Physiography and geology To the northwest, north, and northeast it is bounded by the southern coast of the United States, while to the west, south, and southeast it is bounded by the east coast of Mexico. The gulf’s greatest east-west and north-south extents are approximately 1,100 and 800 miles (1,800 and 1,300 km), respectively, and it covers an area of some 600,000 square miles (1,550,000 square km). Both of these channels are about 100 miles (160 km) wide. ![]() It is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Straits of Florida, running between the peninsula of Florida and the island of Cuba, and to the Caribbean Sea by the Yucatán Channel, which runs between the Yucatán Peninsula and Cuba. Gulf of Mexico, Spanish Golfo de México, partially landlocked body of water on the southeastern periphery of the North American continent. ![]()
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