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A subaqueous delta plain is the submerged portion of a delta, lying below sea level and forming the submarine platform on which the exposed delta builds. It is entirely shaped by marine processes and is responsible for the bulge seen on the continental shelf seaward of deltas. Sediment deposited from river flow entering the ocean forms this plain, particularly where the continental shelf is shallow and gently sloping, and sediment loads are substantial. Examples of deltas with large subaqueous plains include the Amazon, Orinoco, and Huang He.12

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