epeiric sea

An epeiric sea (also known as an epicontinental sea) is a large but shallow body of salt water that lies over a part of a continent. Epeiric seas are usually associated with the marine transgressions of the early Cenozoic and other eras. They can be warm or cold; indeed, several were present at the end of the last Ice Age, when sea level rose more rapidly than some areas could isostatically adjust. Modern examples are the Persian Gulf, the North Sea, and Hudson Bay.
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