Influence of the Atlantic inflow and Mediterranean outflow currents on Late Quaternary sedimentary facies of the Gulf of Cadiz continental margin

Nelson, Claudia; Baraza, J.; Maldonado, Andrés; Rodero, Jesús; Escutia, Carlota; Barber, J.

doi:10.1016/s0025-3227(98)00143-1

Cited by 180 publications

(120 citation statements)

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“…(Haunold et al, 1997;Rezqi et al, 2000;Duchemin et al, 2008). In the present-day northern and northeastern Gulf of Cádiz, extensive mud deposits accumulate on the middle shelf, related to the Guadiana run-off and to the Guadalquivir prodelta (Gutiérrez-Mas et al, 1996;Nelson et al, 1999). Recent N.…”

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confidence: 99%

Messinian paleoenvironmental evolution in the lower Guadalquivir Basin (SW Spain) based on benthic foraminifera

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Aguirre

Schmiedl

et al. 2012

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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Benthic foraminiferal assemblages of a drill core from the lower Guadalquivir Basin (northern Gulf of Cádiz, SW Spain) have been analysed in order to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental evolution in the vicinity of the Betic seaways during the Messinian. The core consists of marine sediments ranging from the latest Tortonian to the early Pliocene. Changes in the abundance of certain marker species, planktonic/benthic ratio (P/B ratio), paleodepth estimated with a transfer function, content of sand grains and presence of glauconitic layers indicate a complete transgressive-regressive sea-level cycle from the bottom to the top of the section. An abrupt sea-level rise, from inner-middle shelf to middle slope, is recorded at the lowermost part of the core (latest Tortonian-earliest Messinian), followed by a relatively rapid shallowing from middle slope to outer shelf. Magnetobiostratigraphic data show These assemblages are dominated by Nonion fabum and Bulimina elongata, two taxa that are able to feed from continental low-quality organic matter, most likely derived from river run-off. The paleoenviromental evolution on the Atlantic side of Betic and Rifian seaways is similar during the Messinian, with a Messinian continuous sea-level lowering driven by regional tectonic uplift and upwelling-related waters reaching the upper slope. This study will further contribute to understand the role of tectonics on the sea-level changes as well as on the closure of the Atlantic-Mediterranean gateways that led to the MSC, and on the paleoceanography on the Atlantic sides of these corridors.

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confidence: 99%

Messinian paleoenvironmental evolution in the lower Guadalquivir Basin (SW Spain) based on benthic foraminifera

Pérez-Asensio

Aguirre

Schmiedl

et al. 2012

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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“…There are also a num ber of papers dedicated to the physiography, marine geology and sedimentation in the continental shelf of the Gulf of Cadiz and 1985;Gutiérrez-Más et 1994;Hernández-Molina et al, 1994;Somoza et al, 1997;van Geen et al, 1997;Maldonado and 1999;Nelson and Maldonado, Nelson et al, 1999;. these papers did not fully extend their observations to the coastal areas were the studied incised-valleys occur.…”

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confidence: 99%

Depositional history of estuarine infill during the last postglacial transgression (Gulf of Cadiz, Southern Spain)

et al. 2000

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The Late Pleistocene ami Holocene evolution of the estuaries in !he Gulf of Cadiz is interpreted for the first time using drill cores, logs, trenches, and 38 new radiocarbon data, and the results compared with lhe she!f The Odie!, Tinto and Guadalete Rivers deposited conglomerales during a highstand lhat did not reach the present sea level dated al ca. 25-30 ka (Isotopic Stage (IS) 3), corresponding lo a relatively humid period in the area. Rivers incised these coarse-grained deposits during the last main lowsland at ca. 18 ka, when sea level dropped to -120 m and the coastline lay 14 km seawards from !he presenL The erosional surface is a sequence boundary and the f100ding slIrface of tl1e postglacial eustatic rise, overlain by !he valley fill deposits of the transgressive and highstand phases of the last fourth-and fif!h-order depositional sequences recognised in !he shelf The first marine int1uence in the estuaries during the transgression occurs at -25/ -30 m at ca. 10,000 years BP. According to tossil assemblages, the transgressed basins changed fmm brackish to more open marine as !he sea rose lIntil ca. 6500 years BP, when it reached !he maximum f100ding ami the sandy estuarine barriers ceased to retrograde toward the muddy central basins. Then, the rate of eustatic rise decreased drastically, and !he estuarine filling followed a two-fold pattem govemed by the progressive change from vertical accretion to lateral (centripelal) progradation. At ca. 4000 years BP the t1uvial input surpassed !he already negligible rate of rise, causing partial emergence of tidal f1ats and spit barriers in the largely filled estuarine basins. Prevalence of coastal progradation upon vertical accretion al ca. 2400 years BP caused accelerated expansion of tidal t1ats and rapid growth of the sandy barriers. Further changes since the 16th century ref1ect widespread anthropic impacts.

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“…Nelson and Maldonado, 1990), we separate them into regressive and lowstand, and highstand regimes. We outline a modern human cultural regime for the period that began 2000 years ago with the Roman occupation of Iberia, because man's influence has been equal or greater than the influence of natural contamination and climatic change factors (Nelson and Maldonado, 1990;Nelson and Lamothe, 1993;Van Geen et al, 1997;Nelson et al, 1999).…”

Section: Depositional Regimes Of the Cadiz Margin Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Generalized sedimentary facies, processes and facies architecture of the Pliocene high sea-level stand and contourite sediment drift deposition regime. Characteristics are summarized from Maldonado et al (1999) and Nelson et al ( , 1999. Fig.…”

Section: Late Pliocene and Pleistocene Regressive And Lowstand Regimesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The olistostrome front is represented by a dashed-line with triangles. (B) Present depositional provinces of the Gulf of Cadiz margin sedimentary system (modified from Nelson et al, , 1999Rodero et al, 1999). types? How does the depositional evolution in the Gulf of Cadiz relate to the development of the orogenic Gibraltar Arc and emplacement of a large olistostrome mass?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interaction of tectonic and depositional processes that control the evolution of the Iberian Gulf of Cadiz margin

Maldonado

Nelson

1999

Marine Geology

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This study provides an integrated view of the growth patterns and factors that controlled the evolution of the Gulf of Cadiz continental margin based on studies of the tectonic, sedimentologic and oceanographic history of the area. Seven sedimentary regimes are identified, but there are more extensive descriptions of the late Cenozoic regimes because of the larger data base. The regimes of the Mesozoic passive margin include carbonate platforms, which become mixed calcareous-terrigenous deposits during the Late Cretaceous-early Tertiary. The Oligocene and Early Miocene terrigenous regimes developed, in contrast, over the active and transcurrent margins near the African-Iberian plate boundary. The top of the Gulf of Cadiz olistostrome, emplaced in the Late Miocene, is used as a key horizon to define the 'post-orogenic' depositional regimes. The Late Miocene progradational margin regime is characterized by a large terrigenous sediment supply to the margin and coincides with the closing of the Miocene Atlantic-Mediterranean gateways. The terrigenous drift depositional regime of the Early Pliocene resulted from the occurrence of high eustatic sea level and the characteristics of the Mediterranean outflow currents that developed after the opening of the Strait of Gibraltar. The Late Pliocene and Quaternary regimes are dominated by sequences of deposits related to cycles of high and low sea levels. Deposition of shelf-margin deltas and slope wedges correlate with regressive and low sea level regimes caused by eustasy and subsidence. During the highstand regimes of the Holocene, inner shelf prograding deltas and deep-water sediment drifts were developed under the influence of the Atlantic inflow and Mediterranean outflow currents, respectively. A modern human cultural regime began 2000 years ago with the Roman occupation of Iberia; human cultural effects on sedimentary regimes may have equalled natural factors such as climate change. Interplay of tectonic and oceanographic controls dominated the evolution of the Cadiz margin during the Cenozoic. Depositional sequences formed where the tectonic setting provided the accommodation space and the shape of the deposits has been greatly influenced by the strong unidirectional Atlantic inflow currents on the shelf and Mediterranean outflow currents on the slope. The entire cycle of the inflow and outflow deposition along the margin has been controlled first by the tectonic evolution of the Betic and Rif gateways, which become closed during the Late Miocene, and after the Messinian by the opening of the Strait of Gibraltar. Strong current development during eustatic sea level highstands of the Pliocene and Quaternary has controlled deposition because of maximum sill depths at Gibraltar for water circulation. Lowstand sea levels slowed circulation and resulted in mud drapes over the slope and regressive stratigraphic sequences over the shelf. More recently, the human industrial revolution has caused heavy metal contamination of sediment and water over the Cadiz margin. H...

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Influence of the Atlantic inflow and Mediterranean outflow currents on Late Quaternary sedimentary facies of the Gulf of Cadiz continental margin

Cited by 180 publications

References 36 publications

Messinian paleoenvironmental evolution in the lower Guadalquivir Basin (SW Spain) based on benthic foraminifera

Messinian paleoenvironmental evolution in the lower Guadalquivir Basin (SW Spain) based on benthic foraminifera

Depositional history of estuarine infill during the last postglacial transgression (Gulf of Cadiz, Southern Spain)

Interaction of tectonic and depositional processes that control the evolution of the Iberian Gulf of Cadiz margin

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