Short-Timescale Strata Formation on a Canyon-Dominated Margin: Assessing the Link between Shelf and Slope Systems
2006
Mullenbach, Beth L.
Recent studies have shown that significant amounts of sediment can escape the shelf break during sea-level highstands, particularly on tectonically active margins (e.g., Kineke et al., 2000). These studies reveal the importance of off-shelf sediment exchange during present conditions in certain environments. However, the specific characteristics (e.g., shelf morphology, regional circulation) that permit significant sediment export from the continental shelf are not well understood, particularly near canyon heads. The long-term goal of this research is to assess how a bathymetrically complex shelf break (i.e., with many canyons) affects the link between shelf and slope sedimentary systems on broad continental margins. This research (as part of the EuroSTRATAFORM Program) focuses on the link between the shelf and slope sediment dispersal systems in the Gulf of Lions (GOL), a margin with variable shelf widths and many submarine canyons. The seabed study aims to achieve the following objectives: determine the primary pathways of seaward sediment dispersal over the shelf and slope, estimate the timing of sediment delivery to the canyon, delineate the deposition/accumulation patterns on the shelf and slope, and estimate the amount of sediment sequestered by the upper slope.
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