The continental shelf in the Bay of Bengal is narrow but the continental shelf in the Arabian sea is very wide.

The river which bring sediments to the continental shelf of the Arabian Sea are short and swift. Therefore, the sediments in the river are deposited in the Continental shelf. The rivers which bring sediments to the continental shelf of the Bay of Bengal are long, sluggish and voluminous, therefore sediments are deposited in deltas and not in the continental shelf.

There are a greater number of estuaries along the coastline of Arabian sea. There are a greater number of deltas along the coastline of the Bay of Bengal.