The name was first proposed by Henry William Menard in 1956 because of the resemblance of the slope to an apron.
While most such underwater sedimentary surfaces are generally smooth, some are rough in texture.
The total volume occupied by an archipelagic apron is often many times that of the adjacent island.
Hence, it is unlikely to have formed from sediments washed off the part of the island above sea level.
[1][2] Instead, archipelagic aprons most likely formed from debris avalanches and pyroclastic flows.