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Abstract The extensive coverage of 3-D seismic data on the Santos Basin deep water offered an integrated vision of the local physiography and medium- to small-scale geomorphological features, which enhances the understanding of its constructive/deconstructive natural processes and their interrelations. The Santos Basin is a divergent marginal basin composed of three main physiographic provinces: its continental shelf, continental slope, and the São Paulo Plateau, whose dimensions, orientation, gradients, and relief interact with oceanographic, biological, and geological processes. This study geologically contextualized environmental data related to the Regional Environmental Characterization Project of the Santos Basin (hereinafter referred to as PCR-BS), especially regarding the regional physiographical architecture and deep-water geomorphological provinces as a background for the benthic communities and the distribution of several of its geochemical parameters. The integrated analysis of 3-D seismic and multibeam bathymetric data and its derivatives (gradient and edge maps) — calibrated by 108 piston cores — aimed to evaluate its seafloor physiographic features and geological processes. Edge detection seismic attributes enhance gradient contrast, which, in turn, can map innumerous medium- to small-scale geomorphic features (features solved in maps at a 1:1,000,000 scale or larger), such as canyons, channels, ravines, pockmark units, pockmark fields, lineaments, carbonate and coral mounds, salt-related features (crests, minibasins, and crestal grabens), scars and rugous relief associated with mass-transport deposits, and bottom current-related features (depressions and furrows). The slope and the gently dipping plateau (São Paulo Plateau) that follow it eastward show four geomorphological domains based on their direction, profile, average gradient, shelf break isobath, distribution of its medium-small scale geomorphic features, and the presence or absence of evaporites at subsurface. The central-northern São Paulo Plateau contains salt-related topographic elevations (salt diapirs and walls) and depressions (minibasins) that give a rough aspect to the seafloor relief. 3D D 3 medium smallscale small constructivedeconstructive constructive deconstructive interrelations dimensions orientation gradients oceanographic biological hereinafter PCRBS, PCRBS PCR BS , PCR-BS) deepwater parameters 10 contrast turn 11,000,000 11000000 1 1,000,000 000 1:1,000,00 larger, larger larger) canyons channels ravines units fields lineaments mounds saltrelated salt crests, crests (crests minibasins grabens, grabens grabens) masstransport mass transport deposits currentrelated current furrows. furrows . furrows) direction profile isobath mediumsmall subsurface centralnorthern central northern walls (minibasins PCR-BS 11 11,000,00 1100000 1000000 1,000,00 00 1:1,000,0 11,000,0 110000 100000 1,000,0 0 1:1,000, 11,000, 11000 10000 1,000, 1:1,000 11,000 1100 1000 1,000 1:1,00 11,00 110 100 1,00 1:1,0 11,0 1,0 1:1, 11, 1, 1:1 1: