Benham Rise
On April 12, 2012 the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) of the United Nations adopted in full the Republic of the Philippines’ Submission for an extended continental shelf (ECS) in the Benham Rise Region. The ECS is that part of the seabed that extends beyond 200 nautical miles from the country’s baselines. The outer limits of the ECS, as established on the basis of the CLCS recommendations, are defined by 226 points, covering a seabed area of 135,506 square kilometers.
Benham Rise is a shallow bathymetric feature, east of Luzon, that towers above the adjacent deep ocean floor. The shallowest part, which is Benham Bank, is less than 50 meters deep.
The main body of Benham Rise is like a plateau with its broad crest and steep slopes toward the deep ocean floor of the West Philippine Basin. It has a blocky outline with its southwest corner impinging on the eastern side of the Luzon landmass creating an indentation.
Benham Rise is craggy and has a rough surface fabric with downsloping flow structures to the valleys and adjacent ocean floor. It is morphologically connected to the Luzon margin through the Bicol Saddle and the Palanan Saddle. The Bicol Saddle is the shallowest part of the morphological connection between Luzon and the southern margin of Benham Rise, while the Palanan Saddle is the shallowest part of the connection between Luzon and the western margin of Benham Rise.
It has two prominent spurs: Narra Spur in the northeast and Molave Spur in the southeast. The Narra Spur is a complex feature, narrowing to less than 20 km wide and connected to the main body of the Rise through the Narra Saddle. Molave Spur is an arrowhead-shaped plateau, extending almost 200 km east of the main body of Benham Rise. It is connected to the main body of the Rise through the Molave Saddle.
The morphological and geological analyses establish that Benham Rise is a natural prolongation of the landmass of Luzon that is distinct from the adjacent deep ocean floor. The connection between Benham Rise and Luzon is evident from its morphology particularly through the Bicol and Palanan Saddles. It is also evident from its geology, which shows that Benham Rise is accreted to Luzon. The geology also reveals the full extent of Benham Rise as a geological unit that is different in nature and character from the adjacent deep ocean floor. The extent of this large igneous province reaches well beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. With the morphological and geological evidence complementing each other, the Test of Appurtenance is satisfied and the Philippines is therefore entitled to delineate the outer limit of its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles.
credit from: Namria
Benham Rise is a shallow bathymetric feature, east of Luzon, that towers above the adjacent deep ocean floor. The shallowest part, which is Benham Bank, is less than 50 meters deep.
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| Benham Rise, Philippines |
The main body of Benham Rise is like a plateau with its broad crest and steep slopes toward the deep ocean floor of the West Philippine Basin. It has a blocky outline with its southwest corner impinging on the eastern side of the Luzon landmass creating an indentation.
Benham Rise is craggy and has a rough surface fabric with downsloping flow structures to the valleys and adjacent ocean floor. It is morphologically connected to the Luzon margin through the Bicol Saddle and the Palanan Saddle. The Bicol Saddle is the shallowest part of the morphological connection between Luzon and the southern margin of Benham Rise, while the Palanan Saddle is the shallowest part of the connection between Luzon and the western margin of Benham Rise.
It has two prominent spurs: Narra Spur in the northeast and Molave Spur in the southeast. The Narra Spur is a complex feature, narrowing to less than 20 km wide and connected to the main body of the Rise through the Narra Saddle. Molave Spur is an arrowhead-shaped plateau, extending almost 200 km east of the main body of Benham Rise. It is connected to the main body of the Rise through the Molave Saddle.
The morphological and geological analyses establish that Benham Rise is a natural prolongation of the landmass of Luzon that is distinct from the adjacent deep ocean floor. The connection between Benham Rise and Luzon is evident from its morphology particularly through the Bicol and Palanan Saddles. It is also evident from its geology, which shows that Benham Rise is accreted to Luzon. The geology also reveals the full extent of Benham Rise as a geological unit that is different in nature and character from the adjacent deep ocean floor. The extent of this large igneous province reaches well beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. With the morphological and geological evidence complementing each other, the Test of Appurtenance is satisfied and the Philippines is therefore entitled to delineate the outer limit of its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles.
credit from: Namria
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