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The present contribution represents the first attempt to comprehensively describe regional along-slope processes and their sedimentary impacts around the Iberian margin, combining numerically simulated bottom currents with existing knowledge of contourite depositional and erosive features. The obtained correlation links the circulation of water masses with the main contourite depositional systems (CDS) and estimates other potential areas where new CDS could be found. Their study should be of great interest not only because of the stratigraphic, sedimentological, palaeoceanographic and palaeoclimatological significance, but also because of their relation with possible specific deep marine geohabitats and/or mineral and energy resources.

Summary The transition from our belief in a deep calm ocean to a recognition that deep-sea clastics other than pelagic clays exist in the oceans, spanned nearly a century. In the last three decades enormous strides have been made in understanding these sediments and their deposition. There is a continuum of processes that transfer material from shallow to deep water and rework sediments within the deep sea. These include: (1) resedimentation processes, ranging from giant rockfalls and slumps to low-density turbidity currents; (2) normal bottom currents; and (3) pelagic settling through the water column. More than fifty distinct facies have been described from the deep sea and these can be interpreted in terms of depositional process via ten standard facies models for resedimented, normal bottom current and pelagic sediments. Environmental models can be constructed for: (1) normal, faulted, carbonate and ridge-flank slope-aprons; (2) radial, elongate and fan-delta submarine fans; and (3) under- and oversupplied basin-plains. These show the generalized horizontal and vertical distribution of facies and the chief morphological elements in each of the three major deep-sea settings. Sedimentary, tectonic and sea-level changes are the main groups of factors that control deep-sea sedimentation within these separate environments. Part of the interest in deep-sea clastics stems from their demonstrable economic importance for the generation and entrapment of hydrocarbons. Many areas of deep-sea sedimentology remain to be investigated and earlier models to be refined; these advances will depend significantly on improvements in our methodology.