Mississippi Fan, Gulf of Mexico

Bouma, Arnold H.; Stelting, Charles E.; Coleman, James M.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4612-5114-9_21

Cited by 31 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Comparisons between recently mapped fans and those largely documented in the literature e.g. Indus Fan (Kolla and Coumes, 1987;Kenyon et al, 1995), Mississippi Fan (Bouma, 1985;Bouma et al, 1989;Weimer, 1990;Twichell et al, 1991;Schwab et al, 1996), Amazon Fan (Damuth and Flood, 1985;Damuth et al, 1988;Flood and Piper, 1997), Zaire Fan (Droz et al, 1996) are of major interest for the improvement of submarine fan models. In addition studies of modern turbidite systems bring important information on sea-level changes, sediment flux to the deep oceans, ocean circulation, and regional and global climate variations (Flood and Piper, 1997).…”

Section: Statement Of Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The difficulty of coring and the very low penetration of the 3.5 kHz seismic waves does not make the study of such environment easy. The transition from a muddy channel-levee system on the upper fan to flat-lying sand lobes on the middle and lower fan, represents a facies shift related to particle sorting and segregation due to channel-levee overflow as shown in the Amazon Fan (Flood and Piper, 1997), Mississippi Fan (Bouma, 1985), Navy Fan, (Piper and Normark, 1983).…”

Section: Fan Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The distribution of deposits, with channel-levee systems on the upper fan and sand lobes on the middle-lower fan, represents the classical downslope facies shift in a mud rich and mud/sand rich submarine fan (Piper and Normark, 1983;Bouma, 1985;Kolla and Coumes, 1987;Normark and Damuth, 1997). On the other hand, the sandy deposit on the uppermost lobe, during the last 2000 BP, has to be explained because the overflow processes in the channel-levee systems were inactive during the upper Holocene.…”

Section: Palaeoceanographic Control On the Development Of The Fanmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Physiography and recent sediment distribution of the Celtic Deep-Sea Fan, Bay of Biscay

et al. 2000

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The Celtic Deep-Sea Fan located in the northwestern part of the Bay of Biscay is a middle sized fan with a surface area of more than 30,000 km 2 . The whole system is a mature mud/sand-rich submarine fan on a passive margin. Multi-beam echo sounder data, 3.5 kHz seismic and 12 Küllenberg cores were examined to define the fan morphology, the lithological characteristics, the sedimentary processes and the relationship between the evolution of the fan deposits and the environmental conditions on the Celtic continental shelf.The upper fan is characterised by the presence of two distinct tributary systems: (1) the Whittard system with a large, persistent, slightly sinuous channel, which is linked to the southern end of the Irish Sea River system; and (2) the Shamrock system, with a moderate sized channel, which is linked to the western end of the English Channel River system. The middle and lower fan corresponds to divergent braided secondary channels and associate lobes. Successive lobe elements, without important relief, were generated during periodic avulsions of middle fan channels.The lithological, palaeontological, and geochemical analyses on cores show the evolution of sedimentation since the last glaciation. During the last lowstand and rise of sea-level frequent low-density turbidity currents were predominant and deposited sediments throughout the whole fan system. They were initiated at the front of a deltaic environment on the Celtic outer-shelf. During the high sea-level conditions, occasional high-density turbidity currents and/or non-cohesive debris flows occur and were responsible for sand deposition in the middle-lower fan. They are derived from reworked sands due to the highenergy conditions on the outer shelf. Thus for the Celtic Fan, the variations of the hydrodynamic conditions on the outer Celtic Shelf seem to be the primary control on facies shift and fan growth. ᭧

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Section: Statement Of Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fan Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Palaeoceanographic Control On the Development Of The Fanmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Physiography and recent sediment distribution of the Celtic Deep-Sea Fan, Bay of Biscay

et al. 2000

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“…They correspond to a seismic unit thinning westward and showing a more or less undulating wave covered by draping reflectors. This unit mimics a sedimentary levee built up by turbidity currents (Normark et al, 1980;Cremer, 1983;Bouma, 1985;Normark and Piper, 1991) north region and can be considered to their southern equivalent. The undulating structures on the western flank of the relief (Fig.…”

Section: Sedimentary Levees and Wavesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Instability and deformation in the sedimentary cover on the upper slope of the southern Aquitaine continental margin, north of the Capbreton canyon (Bay of Biscay)

Gonthier¹,

Cirac²,

Faugères³

et al. 2006

Sci. Mar.

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SUMMARY: Acoustic and core data have recently been collected on the shelf break and the upper part of the slope of the south Aquitaine continental margin. They reveal the major role played by mass-flow gravity processes in deposit erosion and redistribution, modelling of the sea-bed, and transfer of sediment toward the deep-sea. The study region is bounded in the south by the Capbreton canyon. The northern area, which shows a smooth morphology, is characterised by small-scale deformations due to sediment creep or low-amplitude slide processes. The deformations are associated with mini listric-like faults that bound packets of sediments in which the deposit geometry is typical of constructional sediment waves. These sediment waves result from the interaction of depositional and gravity deformation processes. In the southern area, closer to the canyon, wave-like structures are still present but mostly of smaller size. They only result from gravity deformation processes without any evidence of constructional processes. In the vicinity of the Capbreton canyon, the shelf break and upper slope have a much more uneven morphology with sedimentary reliefs, escarpments and depressions directed toward the canyon thalweg. The depressions look like slide scars, and could be the result of regressive slides initiated at the top of the canyon flank. The age of the sliding event responsible for the formation of the depression observed today could be middle to upper Quaternary. Since their formation, these depressions act as conduits that channel the transfer of shelf sediment into the canyon, as demonstrated by the occurrence of a meandering channel on the sea-floor of one depression. -Se recogieron datos acústicos y de testigos (cores) en el límite de la plataforma y la parte superior del talud en el margen continental del sur de Aquitania. Estos datos revelan el importante papel que juegan los procesos de flujos en masa por gravedad en la erosión y redistribución de los depósitos, el modelado del lecho marino y la transferencia de sedimentos hacia el fondo del océano. La región de estudio está limitada al sur por el cañón de Capbreton. El área norte, que presenta una morfología suave, está caracterizada por deformaciones de pequeña escala debidas al arrastre de sedimentos o procesos de deslizamiento de baja amplitud. Las deformaciones están asociadas a mini fallas de tipo lístrico que delimitan bolsas de sedimentos en las cuales la geometría del depó-sito es típica de ondas de sedimento constructivas. Estas ondas sedimentarias resultan de la interacción de los procesos de deformación deposicionales y por gravedad. En el área sur, cerca del cañón, están todavía presentes estructuras similares a ondas, pero la mayor parte son de pequeño tamaño. Estas estructuras son el resultado de los procesos de deformación por gravedad sin ninguna evidencia de procesos constructivos. En las proximidades del cañón de Capbreton, el margen continental y el talud superior tienen una morfología mucho más desigual con relieves sedimentarios, escarp...

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“…The growth sequence is defined by a series of at least seven discrete depositional units termed fan lobes. A fan lobe is defined as a body of submarine fan deposits that accumulated during a relatively short geologic interval and is separated from underlying and adjacent fan lobes by a seismic reflector that can be correlated across the extent of that fan lobe (Bouma, Stelting, et al, 1985). Fan lobes on the Mississippi Fan are further subdivided into four major regions: an erosional canyon incised into the shelf and upper slope; an upper fan with a large, nearly filled, erosional channel; an aggradational middle fan which is convex in cross section and has a central, sinuous leveed channel; and, an aggradational lower fan with multiple, smaller channels, only one of which appears active at any specific period of geologic time (Introduction, Objectives, and Principal Results, this volume; Fig.…”

Section: Previous Studies and Related Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Summary of Drilling Results for the Mississippi Fan and Considerations for Application to Other Turbidite Systems

Normark¹,

Meyer²,

Cremer³

et al. 1986

Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project

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This chapter summarizes the results of Leg 96 sedimentologic studies of the Mississippi Fan. These studies principally describe the youngest fan lobe (deposited during late Wisconsin time) and indicate that a substantial amount of sand was transported through a leveed channel system to the lower fan during that period. Significant amounts of coarsegrained material were also left as a channel lag in the middle fan region. Recovery of these sands was poor, however, and a direct correlation of the Mississippi Fan sections with classic Mutti-Ricci Lucchi facies could not be made. Major submarine slide and debris-flow deposits suggest that a significant portion of the total sediment contribution to the fan might come from the margins of the Gulf of Mexico and not necessarily follow the existing channel system. Good recovery of fine-grained sediment in the upper 50 to 100 m at most sites provides substantial insight on depositional processes of muddy turbidity currents and other density flows in a passive margin, large-scale submarine fan setting. In general, the drilling results on the Mississippi Fan are compatible with seismic stratigraphic interpretations.

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Mississippi Fan, Gulf of Mexico

Cited by 31 publications

References 3 publications

Physiography and recent sediment distribution of the Celtic Deep-Sea Fan, Bay of Biscay

Physiography and recent sediment distribution of the Celtic Deep-Sea Fan, Bay of Biscay

Instability and deformation in the sedimentary cover on the upper slope of the southern Aquitaine continental margin, north of the Capbreton canyon (Bay of Biscay)

Summary of Drilling Results for the Mississippi Fan and Considerations for Application to Other Turbidite Systems

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