Classification of seafloor highs in accordance with Article 76 of UNCLOS - Consequences of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf recent modifications of its interpretations

Seafloor highs can be grouped into three legal categories: (i) oceanic ridges; (ii) submarine ridges; and (iii) submarine elevations. The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf recognizes that the foot of slope serves as the qualifier to distinguish oceanic ridges from the two other categories. The Commission established a view that the sole qualifier for a submarine ridge is its morphological continuity with the continental margin. A submarine elevation needs also to share geological characteristics with the rest of the continental margin. Recent recommendations suggest that the Commission may have complicated its view in this respect.