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1.
George Anastasakis   《Marine Geology》2007,240(1-4):113-135
Santorini volcano has been the largest source of volcaniclastic sediment in the Eastern Mediterranean during the late Quaternary. A dozen cores from the Cretan Basin, south of Santorini, have sampled two megabeds that consist of gravity emplaced volcaniclastic sequences. The uppermost megabed U consists of a succession of five (U5–U1) base cut out turbiditic units. Lower megabed A is a single turbiditic event. Only the uppermost U2 and U1 turbidites are separated from the underlying beds by hemipelagic marls. The texture and composition of the U and A megabeds closely match the texture and composition of the fine, vitric ash of the “Minoan” deposits on Santorini islands, dating from about 3500 yr BP. These megabeds are therefore attributed to rapid accumulation of separate gravity flows fed by the “Minoan” eruption, except for the upper U2 and U1 turbidites deposited from subsequent gravity flows transporting eroded volcaniclastic sediments. With the exception of the margin south of Santorini, dozens of cores retrieved around the margins of the Cretan Basin have a continuous late Quaternary succession that shows no evidence for massive sediment remobilization into the deeper basin, including the passage of the “Minoan” tsunami.

Extensive high-resolution 3.5 kHz records revealed the acoustic character, architecture and distribution of the U and A megabeds and four underlying late Quaternary volcanogenic megabeds in the Cretan Basin. The acoustic facies of megabeds are typical of megaturbidites and consist of an upper, transparent, lower velocity layer that corresponds to the fine-grained upper turbiditic silt and clay section and a lower, strongly reflective higher velocity section that corresponds to the lowest, coarser-grained base of the turbidite that is developed over a sharp erosional surface. Penetration of the high-resolution records reveals the existence of at least six megabeds. Correlation with core lithology and the physical properties of the various lithofacies, including down-core velocity profiles, has allowed us to determine the thickness and volumes of the upper four megabeds which are: U ≤ 9 m thick, volume 3.7 km3; A ≤ 25 m thick, volume 12.2 km3; B ≤ 22 m thick, volume 10.3 km3; C ≤ 15 m thick, volume 8 km3. These thick megabeds are the uppermost products of repeated explosive eruption of Santorini in the late Quaternary. Calculated sedimentation rates from and after the “Minoan” eruption are 9.4 m/1000 yr that rise to over 15.7 m/1000 yr if megabed B was also deposited during this eruption.  相似文献   


2.
Turbidity currents represent a major agent for sediment transport in lakes, seas and oceans. In particu-lar, they formulate the most significant clastic accumulations in the deep sea, which become many of the world＇s most important hydrocarbon reservoirs. Several boreholes in the Qiongdongnan Basin, the north-western South China Sea, have recently revealed turbidity current deposits as significant hydrocarbon res-ervoirs. However, there are some arguments for the potential provenances. To solve this problem, it is es-sential to delineate their sedimentary processes as well as to evaluate their qualities as reservoir. Numerical simulations have been developed rapidly over the last several years, offering insights into turbidity current behaviors, as geologically significant turbidity currents are difficult to directly investigate due to their large scale and often destructive nature. Combined with the interpretation of the turbidity system based on high-resolution 3D seismic data, the paleotophography is acquired via a back-stripping seismic profile integrated with a borehole, i.e., Well A, in the western Qiongdongnan Basin; then a numerical model is built on the basis of this back-stripped profile. After defining the various turbidity current initial boundary conditions, includ-ing grain size, velocity and sediment concentration, the structures and behaviors of turbidity currents are investigated via numerical simulation software ANSYS FLUENT. Finally, the simulated turbidity deposits are compared with the interpreted sedimentary bodies based on 3D seismic data and the potential provenances of the revealed turbidites by Well A are discussed in details. The simulation results indicate that a sedimen-tary body develops far away from its source with an average grain size of 0.1 mm, i.e., sand-size sediment. Taking into account the location and orientation of the simulated seismic line, the consistence between normal forward simulation results and the revealed cores in Well A indicates that the turbidites should ha  相似文献   

3.
In order to define the nature and distribution of the organic matter (OM) preserved in the modern Ogooué deep sea turbidite system (Gabon), bulk geochemical techniques (Rock-Eval pyrolysis, elemental and isotopic analyses) and palynofacies were applied to three piston cores collected in the Cape Lopez Canyon and lobe and on the continental slope, north of the canyon.The hemipelagic sedimentation in the study area is characterized by high accumulations of well-preserved OM (∼2-3 wt. TOC %). Bulk geochemical and palynofacies analysis indicate both a marine and terrestrial origin of the OM. Contribution of the marine source is higher on the slope than in the canyon and lobe.OM accumulation in turbidites is strongly controlled by the combined influence of the Cape Lopez Canyon and littoral drift. In the canyon and lobe, turbidites show generally low TOC content (0.5 wt. %) and OM is oxidized. The origin of the OM is interpreted as both marine and terrestrial, with a higher contribution of continental source versus marine source. The low TOC contents are due to the large siliciclastic fraction transported by the littoral drift and diverted in the Cape Lopez Canyon during high energy processes (e.g. storms) which tend to dilute the OM in the turbidites. Transport by long-shore currents and/or turbiditic flows leads to oxidation of the OM.On the continental slope located north of the Cape Lopez Canyon, large amounts of OM are deposited in turbidites (up to 14 wt. %). The OM is predominantly derived from terrestrial land plants and has not been subjected to intense oxidation. These deposits are characterized by high hydrocarbon potential (up to 27 kg HC/t rock), indicating a good potential as gas-prone source rock. Because Cape Lopez Canyon captures a significant part of the sediment transported by the littoral drift, the siliciclastic sedimentary flux is reduced north of the canyon; OM is thus concentrated in the turbidites. Variation in TOC content within turbidite laminae can be explained by the burst and sweep deposition process affecting the boundary layer of the turbulent flow.This study confirms that gravity flows play a preponderant role in the accumulation and preservation of OM in deep water and that deep sea turbidite systems could be regarded as an environment where organic sedimentation occurs.  相似文献   

4.
Sedimentary, isotopic and bulk geochemical proxies measured in sediment samples of five gravity cores collected in the distal part of the Ogooue turbidite system (around 4000 m-depth) were used to develop a conceptual model to describe the accumulation of terrigenous organic matter (OM) during the last 200,000 yrs BP in the eastern part of the Gulf of Guinea. This model takes into account the influence of the different depositional processes (turbiditic vs hemipelagic sedimentation), geomorphological features and sea-level variations.Total organic carbon (TOC) and the stable organic carbon isotopes of the OM (δ13C) variability follow the highstand/lowstand (interglacial/glacial) cyclicity with a very low accumulation rate of terrigenous OM during periods of high sea-level and higher accumulation rate during period of low sea-level. A sea-level of 80–120 m below present day seems to favor the transfer of terrigenous sediments to the deep offshore environment through the turbidite system and thanks to the connection of the canyons heads with the river system presently located at the shelf edge at −120 m water depth.In this system, terrigenous OM matter delivered by the river accumulate in the sediments via two main processes. Indeed, a part of the terrigenous OM settles in combination with the finest particles forming hemipelagites, while another part, formed of very well preserved land plant debris, is transported and deposited far offshore with turbidity currents. The proportion of terrigenous OM accumulated due to turbidity currents is important as it can represent more than 70% of the carbon accumulated during sea-level lowstand. Moreover, terrigenous OM seems to preferentially accumulate in the levees and the lobes of the system notably due to the higher frequency of organic-rich turbidites.This study demonstrates that gravity flows, influenced by the sea-level variations, can significantly affect the terrigenous OM budget of the deep offshore Atlantic margins and that channel-levee complexes as well as turbidite lobes can be regarded as good sink for terrestrial organic carbon. These processes should be taken into consideration in the context of source rocks exploration but also for the estimation of the general carbon accumulation in ocean sediment.  相似文献   

5.
The Var turbiditic system located in the Ligurian Sea (SE France) is an intermediate mud/sand-rich system. The particularity of the Var deep-sea fan is its single channel with abrupt bends and its asymmetric and hyper-developed levee on the right hand side: the Var Sedimentary Ridge. Long-term sediment accumulation on the Var Sedimentary Ridge makes this an ideal target for studying the link between onshore climate change and deep-sea turbidite stratigraphy. This paper focuses on the establishment of the first detailed stratigraphy of the levee, which is used to analyze the timing of overbank deposition throughout the last deglaciation. Main results indicate that high variability in turbidite frequencies and deposition rates along the Var Sedimentary Ridge are determined by two main parameters: 1) the progressive decrease of the levee height controlling the ability of turbidity currents to spill out from the channel onto the levee, and 2) climatic variations affecting the drainage basin, in particular changes in glacial condition since late Last Glacial Maximum to early Holocene. Compared to other deep-water areas, this study confirms the ability of turbiditic systems to record past climatic events on millennial timescales, and underlines the influence of European deglaciation on the observed decrease in turbidite activity in the Var canyon. The presence of a very narrow continental shelf and a single, large channel-levee system makes the Var Sedimentary Ridge a unique example of climate-controlled turbiditic accumulations.  相似文献   

6.
Late Pleistocene to Holocene margin sedimentation on the Great Barrier Reef, a mixed carbonate-siliciclastic margin, has been explained by a transgressive shedding model. This model has challenged widely accepted sequence stratigraphic models in terms of the timing and type of sediment (i.e. carbonate vs. siliciclastic) deposited during sea-level oscillations. However, this model documents only hemipelagic sedimentation and the contribution of coarse-grained turbidite deposition, and the role of submarine canyons in this process, remain elusive on this archetypal margin. Here we present a new model of turbidite deposition for the last 60 ky in the north-eastern Australia margin. Using high-resolution bathymetry, 58 new and existing radiometric ages, and the composition of 81 turbidites from 15 piston cores, we found that the spatial and temporal variation of turbidites is controlled by the relationship between sea-level change and the variable physiography along the margin. Siliciclastic and mixed carbonate-siliciclastic turbidites were linked to canyons indenting the shelf-break and the well-developed shelf-edge reef barriers that stored sediment behind them. Turbidite deposition was sustained while the sea-level position allowed the connection and sediment bypassing through the inter-reef passages and canyons. Carbonate turbidites dominated in regions with more open conditions at the outer-shelf and where slope-confined canyons dominated or where canyons are generally less abundant. The turn-on and maintenance of carbonate production during sea-level fluctuations also influenced the timing of carbonate turbidite deposition. We show that a fundamental understanding of the variable physiography inherent to mixed carbonate-siliciclastic margins is essential to accurately interpret deep-water, coarse-grained deposition within a sequence stratigraphic context.  相似文献   

7.
Sedimentation in the 9500 km2, 4100 m deep Hispaniòla—Caicos Basin is dominated by turbidity currents. Carbonate turbidites originate from the Bahama Islands, Great Inagua and Caicos at the north end of the basin. Mixed carbonate—non-carbonate flows come from Hispaniola and perhaps Cuba. Most flows originate on insular slopes rather than in shallow water. The relatively low CaCO3 content of hemipelagic sequences throughout the entire basin reveals that the influence of non-carbonate Hispaniola—Cuba sources is widespread.The basin was sampled with closely spaced piston cores. Sand-layer isopach and frequency maps reveal four or five major basin entry points for turbidity currents. Flow size is proportional to the size of source areas. Average volumes of flows originating from Hispaniola—Cuba, the largest source, are 109 m3. This compares to an average flow volume of 106 m3 for flows derived from the smallest source area, the Southeastern Caicos Bank. Measures of turbidity-current activity, such as thickness and frequency, change in a regular fashion away from each entry point. Average lutite thickness (combining hemipelagic and turbiditic lutite) are greatest near the basin entry points. On the abyssal plain occupying the south half of the basin, Bouma turbidite sedimentary structure sequences tend to be complete. However, on the Caicos Fan, the sedimentary structure sequences in turbidites are characterized by missing or repeated units. Six radiocarbon dates of two widespread presumed pelagic units in the basin yielded younger dates in stratigraphically older positions. The reversed dates are assumed to reflect storm erosion of older sediment on adjacent insular shelves.Consideration of a north—south reflection seismic profile over the basin indicates that the present sediment regimen has pertained through much of the Neogene. The coherence, convergence and termination of reflections in the seismic section are consistent with and tend to confirm conclusions based on the core study regarding the greater extent and volume of sediment deposits derived from the Hispaniola source area.  相似文献   

8.
In the Nile deep-sea turbidite system (NDSTS), the province fed by the Rosetta branch of the Nile delta is characterised by the recurrent activity of gravity processes. Seven mass-transport deposits (MTDs) were recognised from the upper to the mid slope, downstream from imbricated scars (~ 30 km-long, ~ 200 m high) running along the shelf edge nearby the Rosetta canyon. Extending on surfaces between 200 and 5000 km2, with estimated volumes from 3 to 500 km3, these MTDs represent about 40% (up to 90% locally) of the total Pleistocene–Holocene sedimentary thickness. Three types of MTDs can be distinguished on the basis of their scale. Each has also a distinctive internal configuration and distribution within the Rosetta depositional setting. Age estimates of two MTDs point towards relationships between climate and submarine mass failures through sea-level changes, sediment supply, or a combination of both. Additionally, the presence of gas in the sediment and earthquake shaking may have concurred to trigger large-scale failures on the low slope angles (1°–2°) of the Rosetta area.  相似文献   

9.
Emplacement of post-glacial turbidites is commonly controlled by rapid changes in sea level or by seismicity. On the continental rise of the Gulf of Lions (Western Mediterranean), an aseismic area, we identified turbiditic beds deposited during the rising stage and highstand of sea level. Swath bathymetry, sediment cores, in situ Cone Penetrating Tests (CPTU), heavy mineral associations and radiocarbon dating determined the source, composition, distribution and age of the turbiditic beds. Turbidites are composed of homogeneous to positively graded silts to medium sand with quartz (up to 90%), shell debris and shelfal benthic faunas. Their distribution on the sea floor is very patchy and controlled by abundant inherited erosional bedforms. Their source is found in relict regressive sands at the outershelf. Their deposition occurred just after the onset of the post-glacial sea level rise and the concomitant sediment starvation of the Rhône deep sea turbiditic system until recently. Whilst canyons are fed with sand by strong seasonal hydro-sedimentary dynamics on the outershelf, the emplacement of post-glacial turbidites is not controlled by sea level changes but probably by the periodic flushing of the canyons. Our study revealed that this low energy aseismic margin undergoes significant transport of sand, down to the base of slope, during the sea-level rise and the Holocene highstand.  相似文献   

10.
The sedimentary infill history of the Madeira Abyssal Plain (MAP) is established from correlation of ODP Leg 157 drillsites (Sites 950–952) with an almost regular grid of 7000 km of intermediate-resolution seismic reflection profiles covering the central part of the abyssal plain. The most conspicuous seismic reflectors bounding the seismostratigraphic units have been identified and mapped. Correlation between seismic and borehole data using synthetic seismograms allows the lithological attribution and dating of the reflectors and seismostratigraphic units. Lateral mapping and correlation of seismic units also allows both the volumes and rates of accumulation of sediments within each seismostratigraphic unit and equivalent time periods of deposition to be determined. These calculations have been corrected for the effect of compaction, calculated at around 40% at the base of the drillholes. Three main turbidite types have been identified at the drillsites and their emplacement frequency has been calculated for each site and time period. Our results show that Cretaceous oceanic crust was draped with red pelagic clays, and the fracture-zone valleys were completely infilled and levelled in a geologically rather short time, probably during the latest Oligocene and Early Miocene, by organic-rich turbidites derived from the NW African continental margin. At 16 Ma, the topography was levelled enough to allow large turbidity current flows to cover the entire plain. During the Middle and Late Miocene (16–5.9 Ma), organic-rich turbidites were emplaced on the abyssal plain at a low rate of accumulation (12 m/my). In the uppermost Miocene–Early Pliocene (5.9–3.6 Ma), turbidite emplacement increased markedly in both frequency and accumulation rate (e.g., 26 m/my for organic-rich turbidites). During this time, period emplacement of volcanic-rich turbidites also increased in volume and frequency, a trend that continued into the Pliocene. Increased volcanic-rich turbidite emplacement correlates well with increased volcanic activity on the Canary Islands, and increased organic-rich turbidite emplacement may correlate with periods of erosion on the NW African continental margin. These erosional periods may be related to global cooling and falling sea level, intensification of bottom-water currents, and enhanced upwelling on the margin.  相似文献   

11.
Two gravity cores (CAG-3 and C-15) from the tectonically active, 1,276-m deep Çınarcık Basin of the Marmara Sea each include three sandy turbiditic mud units (1 mm–2 cm thick) with sharp basal contacts. The high benthic foraminifer content of these units suggests that the sediments were transported by turbidity currents from the upper slope region. These units represent the thin edges of turbidites thickening towards the subsiding north-eastern part of the basin, and contain quartz, detrital calcite, intact shells and shell fragments, smectite, pyrite framboids, muscovite, biotite, epidote and garnet. Their clay fractions are more enriched in smectite than those of adjacent layers. AMS 14C ages (957±43 a.d. and 578±31 a.d.) of two upper and middle turbiditic units in core C15 overlap with the historical İstanbul-Thrace (intensity=10) and İstanbul-Kocaeli (intensity=9) earthquakes of 26 October 986 and 15 August 553, respectively. This overlap, together with sedimentological characteristics, strongly suggests that the turbiditic units are related to the tectono-seismic activity of the North Anatolian Fault. The age of the lowest turbiditic unit in core C-3 was found to be 6,573±87 a b.p. (calendar) by AMS 14 C. In terms of chronostratigraphic relationships and lithological composition, the turbiditic units in core CAG-3 cannot be correlated with those in C15. This can be explained by gravity-controlled sedimentation causing wedging out of turbidites towards the edge of the basin.  相似文献   

12.
Various transformation mechanisms can generate turbidity currents from subaqueous debris flows. Different transformation mechanisms have been described and interpreted in the past from laboratory experiments and from deposits, but the two approaches have not generally been linked. This has made the genetic interpretation and comparison of deposits difficult. In this paper a generic classification scheme of debrite–turbidite couplets is proposed based on transformation mechanisms inferred from laboratory experiments. Five different flow types (called A–E herein) and their resulting deposits are detailed, but they are all part of a continuous spectrum, and a mixture of types is likely to be found in the field. Type A flows are strong, dense debris flows that undergo little transformation. Their deposit will be a debrite overlain by a thin turbidite, which is separated from it by a clear grain size break. Type B flows are weaker and can develop waves at the debris flow-turbidity current interface. The deposit will be a debrite with a wavy top overlain by a turbidite that is thicker than for type A flows. For type C flows, the interfacial waves will grow so much that the debris flow disintegrates into separate parts. The deposit will consist of debrite lenses encased in a turbidite. Type D flows will undergo even more mixing than type C flows so that the debrite parts will be mixed. Their deposit will be a turbidite with laterally varying areas of debrite characteristics near the bed. Type E flows will be so transformed that the debris flow character has disappeared and the flow is a turbidity current with high sediment concentration. The deposit will be largely turbiditic. The flow types and deposits will be illustrated with some examples from two field areas: the Polish Carpathians and the French Maritime Alps.  相似文献   

13.
陈峰  蔡锋 《台湾海峡》1992,11(4):339-344
本文根据南海深海盆地三个沉积柱样的粒度结构、地球化学、微体古生物等特征分析,深讨了南海深海盆地细粒沉积物的浊积现象。结果表明,位于南海北部陆架斜坡上KL37孔的浊流沉积现象并不明显;位于陆架斜坡和深海盆地交界处的KL29孔存在着大量的浊积层,属于浊流沉积和半远洋沉积环境;位于南海盆地中部的KL91孔虽然已属于远洋性沉积环境,但除出现火山灰沉积外,浊流沉积作用仍然是相当活跃的。  相似文献   

14.
A gravity core taken in the canyon of Capbreton shows a succession of sedimentary facies which can be interpreted as three superimposed Bouma sequences. The turbiditic sequences are covered by an oxidised layer which contains live benthic foraminiferal faunas indicating a reprisal of hemipelagic deposition. Activities of 234Th and 210Pb suggest that the most recent turbidite was deposited between early December 1999 and mid-January 2000. During this period, the most probable natural event able to trigger a turbidity current was the violent storm which affected the French Atlantic coast on 27 December 1999. The turbidity current could have been caused by a sediment failure due to an excess in pore pressure generated by the storm waves, an increase of the littoral drift, or the dissipation of the along-coast water bulge through the canyon. This sub-recent turbidite shows that the canyon experiences modern gravity processes, despite the lack of a direct connection with a major sediment source.  相似文献   

15.
Morphological features observed in both swath bathymetry and seismic reflection data are not unique, which introduces uncertainty as to their origin. The origin of features observed in the Humboldt Slide has generated much controversy because the same features have been interpreted as a submarine failure deposit versus current-controlled sediment waves. It is important to resolve this controversy because similar structures are observed on many continental margins and the origin of these features needs to be understood. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) measurements on sediment samples acquired from the Humboldt Slide reveal that the top  8 m have not experienced post-depositional deformation. This suggests that these features are formed by primary deposition associated with downslope currents. Using the same AMS technique on a core acquired north of the Humboldt Slide in a region with no geophysical evidence for post-depositional deformation, we were able to identify a  1 m thick deposit that appears to be a small slump.  相似文献   

16.
The deep lacustrine gravity-flow deposits are widely developed in the lower Triassic Yanchang Formation, southeast Ordos Basin, central China. Three lithofacies include massive fine-grained sandstone, banded sandstone, and massive oil shale and mudstone. The massive fine-grained sandstones have sharp upper contacts, mud clasts, boxed-shaped Gamma Ray (GR) log, but no grading and Bouma sequences. In contrast, the banded sandstones display different bedding characteristics, gradational upper contacts, and fine-upward. The massive, fine-grained sandstones recognized in this study are sandy debrites deposited by sandy debris flows, while the banded sandstones are turbidites deposited by turbidity currents not bottom currents. The sediment source for these deep gravity-flow sediments is a sand-rich delta system prograding at the basin margin. Fabric of the debrites in the sandy debris fields indicates initial formation from slope failure caused by the tectonic movement. As the sandy debris flows became diluted by water and clay, they became turbidity currents. The deep lacustrine depositional model is different from the traditional marine fan or turbidite fan models. There are no channels or wide lobate sand bodies. In the lower Triassic Yanchang Formation, layers within the sandy debrites have higher porosity (8–14%) and permeability (0.1–4 mD) than the turbidites with lower porosity (3–8%) and permeability (0.04–1 mD). Consequently, only the sandy debrites constitute potential petroleum reservoir intervals. Results of this study may serve as a model for hydrocarbon exploration and production for deep-lacustrine reservoirs from gravity-flow systems in similar lacustrine depositional environments.  相似文献   

17.
Four sediment cores were collected to determine the depositional environments of the King George Basin northeast of Bransfield Strait, Antarctica. The cored section revealed three distinct lithofacies: laminated siliceous ooze derived from an increased paleoproductivity near the receding sea-ice edges, massive muds that resulted from hemipelagic sedimentation in open water, and graded sediments that originated from nearby local seamounts by turbidity currents. Clay mineral data of the cores indicate a decreasing importance of volcanic activity through time. Active volcanism and hydrothermal activity appear to be responsible for the enrichment of smectite near the Penguin and Bridgeman Islands.  相似文献   

18.
Expedition Fiord is a small, shallow inlet on the west coast of Axel Heiberg Island near 80°N latitude. It receives runoff and sediment at its head from a 1079 km2 drainage basin, 72% of which is glacier-covered. Subbottom acoustic survey and cores from the fiord floor were used to assess the sedimentary environment. Most of the sediment is deposited within 3 km of the inflow from suspension in the overflowing cap and by gravity flows on the foreset beds of the delta. Occasionally, weak turbidity currents reach the mid fiord where they deposit fine-grained sediments. Icebergs from a large calving glacier in an adjacent fiord raft additional sediment, especially to the outer part of the fiord. They also scour the seafloor, although the persistent ice cover and slow currents in the fiord restrict this process. Except near the inflow, the total sediment accumulation since deglaciation is less than 20 m, and the rates of 0.5–1 mm/yr have not varied significantly to the present. A thicker deposit in the outer fiord is probably related to an early Holocene glacier margin near that location.  相似文献   

19.
The Cretan Basin can be characterized as a back-arc basin of the Hellenic Trench System, that is related to the subduction zone of the African Plate under the Eurasia Plate. The study area includes the narrow and relatively steep (gradient 1.5°) continental shelf of the island of Crete followed by the steep slope (2°–4°) and the rather flat deeper part of the Cretan basin (water depths >1700 m).Surficial sediments of the coastal zone are coarser and of terrigenous origin, while in deeper waters finer sediments, of biogenic origin, are more abundant. Sand-sized calcareous sediment accumulations, identified in middle-lower slope, may be attributed to the aggregation of seabed biogenic material related to the near bed current activity.High resolution profiles (3.5 kHz) taken from the inner shelf shows a typical sigmoid-oblique progradational configuration, implying prodelta sediment accumulation during the Holocene. In the upper-middle slope, sub-bottom reflectors indicate continuous sedimentation of alternating fine and/or coarse grained material. Small-scale gravity induced synsedimentary faults appeared, locally. In contrast, a series of gravity induced faults, identified in the lower slope, are associated with sediment instabilities due to seismotectonic activity. Sediment cores taken from the shelf-break consists of calcareous muddy sand with small amounts of terrigenous silt and fine sand, while the cores recovered from the middle slope has revealed a more homogeneous fine sediment texture of hemipelagic deposition.The prevailing accumulation processes in the southern margin of the Cretan basin are: (i) prodelta deposition in the inner-middle shelf; (ii) settling from bottom nepheloid layers in the shelf and upper slope; (iii) calcareous sediment formation due to settling from suspension and post accumulation aggregation (middle-lower slope); (iv) long-term episodic sediment gravity processes in the lower slope; and (v) to a lesser extent, redeposition from resuspension due to gravity processes and bottom currents.  相似文献   

20.
Bonanza Canyon is a complex canyon system on the slope from the intermittently glaciated Grand Bank on the south side of Orphan Basin. A 3D seismic reflection volume, 2D high-resolution seismic reflection profiles and ten piston cores were acquired to study the evolution of this canyon system in relation to glacial processes on the continental shelf and the effects of different types of turbidity currents on the development of deep water channels. Mapped reflector surfaces from the 3D seismic volume show that the Bonanza Canyons developed in a depression created by a large submarine slide of middle Pleistocene age, coincident with the onset of glacigenic debris flows entering western Orphan Basin. Two 3–5 km wide, flat-floored channels were cut into the resulting mass-transport deposit and resemble catastrophic glacial meltwater channels elsewhere on the margin. Both channels subsequently aggraded. The eastern channel A became narrower but maintained a sandy channel floor. The western channel, B, heads at a spur on the continental slope and appears to have been rather passively draped by muds and minor sands that have built 1500-m wave length sediment waves.Muddy turbidites recorded by piston cores in the channel and on the inter-channel ridges are restricted to marine isotope stage (MIS) 2 and were deposited from thick, sheet-like, and sluggish turbidity current derived from western Orphan Basin that resulted in aggradation of the channels and inter-channel ridges. Sandy turbidites in channels and on inner levees were deposited throughout MIS 2–3 and were restricted to the channels, locally causing erosion. Some coincide with Heinrich events. Channels with well-developed distributaries on the upper slope more readily trap the sediments on Grand Bank to form sandy turbidity currents. Channel B dominated by muddy turbidity currents has wide and relatively smooth floor whereas channel A dominated by sandy turbidity currents has a sharp geometry.  相似文献   

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