Upslope flow of turbidity currents: A comparison among field observations, theory, and laboratory models

Muck, M.; Underwood, Michael B.

doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1990)018<0054:ufotca>2.3.co;2

Cited by 83 publications

(55 citation statements)

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“…Such a stratigraphic evolution fits well with the first two stages of the 'fill and spill' depositional model (e.g., Sinclair and Tomasso, 2002) in that as the height of the confining topography is reduced because of sediment infilling the basin, an increasing amount of fine grained sediments escape the basin so that the net/gross increases stratigraphically upwards (see also Amy et al, 2007 andBrunt et al, 2004) Figs 8 and 9). These observations imply that stripping of mud not only increased gradually as a result of basin infill, but was enhanced in the event of exceptionally large turbidity currents (Muck and Underwood, 1990;Brunt et al, 2004;Amy et al, 2007) and could take place even during the earliest deposition in the Castagnola Basin; sandstone thicknesses from the same unit are in agreement with the model of Sinclair and Cowie (2003) for ponded turbidites. In addition, if the range of inbound flows remains the same throughout deposition of the studied section, the lack of a thick-bedded tail in the mud cap populations of Unit 2 and 3 entails a dramatic increase of stripping of the mud which is paralleled with a significant departure from the bed thickness statistical distribution of the older Unit 1.…”

Section: Transition From Ponded To Flow-stripping-dominated Conditionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…flow thickness, internal stratification in sediment concentration and grain size, velocity, duration and total discharge) and the height of the enclosing topography (Muck and Underwood 1990;Alexander and Morris 1994;Kneller and McCaffrey 1999). These controlling factors may be time-variant due to changes in sedimentary input and modifications of seafloor bathymetry, including basin infill (Prather et al 1998;Winker and Booth 2000;Sinclair and Tomasso 2002;Felletti and Bersezio 2010;Sylvester et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Flow stripping occurs when the most dilute upper part of a turbidity current suspension cloud is able to escape the basin spilling over the confining topography (Sinclair and Tomasso 2002). Flow stripping can occur either as a transient run-up effect in low relief confined situations (Muck and Underwood 1990), or when large volume, long-lived flows inflate the suspension cloud to the level of a basin sill (Toniolo et al 2006a, b;Patacci et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fill to spill stratigraphic evolution of a confined turbidite mini-basin succession, and its likely well bore expression: The Castagnola Fm, NW Italy

Marini

Patacci

Felletti

et al. 2016

Marine and Petroleum Geology

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This study documents the stratigraphic evolution of the Castagnola ponded turbidite mini-basin through analysis of a detailed base-to-top section measured in the central part of the basin. thickness population suggests that the turbidite system was no longer obstructed frontally, and could step forward onto a healed topography. In order to assess whether the documented trends of turbidite bed characteristics indicative of the 'fill to spill' transition could be recognised from wireline log data alone, synthetic logs were prepared by up-scaling the field data to resolutions typical of borehole geophysical log data. Vertical trends of average bed thickness and net/gross recognisable in the synthetic data suggest that the transition from ponded to spill-dominated situations should be resolvable in geophysical log data.

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Section: Transition From Ponded To Flow-stripping-dominated Conditionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fill to spill stratigraphic evolution of a confined turbidite mini-basin succession, and its likely well bore expression: The Castagnola Fm, NW Italy

Marini

Patacci

Felletti

et al. 2016

Marine and Petroleum Geology

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“…The volcanic sandstones were not expected at the top of the knoll, and they probably shared a common Izu-Bonin source with Unit II at Site C0011. Their existence seemingly requires upslope transfer by turbidity currents (Muck and Underwood, 1990) and/or post-depositional uplift of the basement high. Seismic data show that the facies thins toward the basement high but drapes over the crest and continues onto the seaward-facing flank (Fig.…”

Section: Principal Results From Site C0011mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The basement architecture clearly modulated sedimentation rates throughout the history of the Shikoku Basin, but relief on Kashinosaki Knoll was never high enough to completely prevent the transport and deposition of sandy detritus atop the crest. This comes as something of a surprise, although comparable deposits from thick turbidity currents and/or upslope flow of gravity flows have been documented elsewhere (Muck and Underwood, 1990). This discovery is important because the basement highs of the Shikoku Basin could act as asperities once they reach seismogenic depths along the plate interface (Cloos, 1992;Bilek, 2007).…”

Section: History Of Sedimentation and Fluidsmentioning

confidence: 99%

IODP Expedition 322 Drills Two Sites to Document Inputs to The Nankai Trough Subduction Zone

Underwood

Saito

Kubo

2010

Scientific Drilling

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The primary goals during Expedition 322 of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program were to sample and log the incoming sedimentary strata and uppermost igneous basement of the Shikoku Basin, seaward of the Nankai Trough (southwestern Japan). Characterization of these subduction inputs is one piece of the overall science plan for the Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment. Before we can assess how various material properties evolve down the dip of the plate interface, and potentially change the fault's behavior from stable sliding to seismogenic slip, we must determine the initial pre-subduction conditions. Two sites were drilled seaward of the trench to demonstrate how facies character and sedimentation rates responded to bathymetric architecture. Site C0011 is located on the northwest flank of a prominent basement high (Kashinosaki Knoll), and Site C0012 is located near the crest of the seamount. Even though significant gaps remain in the coring record, and attempts to recover wireline logs at Site C0012 failed, correlations can be made between stratigraphic units at the two sites. Sedimentation rates slowed down throughout the condensed section above the basement high, but the seafloor relief was never high enough during the basin's evolution to prevent the accumulation of sandy turbidites near the crest of the seamount. We discovered a new stratigraphic unit, the middle Shikoku Basin facies, which is typified by late Miocene volcaniclastic turbidites. The sediment-basalt contact was recovered intact at Site C0012, giving a minimum basement age of 18.9 Ma. Samples of interstitial water show a familiar freshening trend with depth at Site C0011, but chlorinity values at Site C0012 increase above the values for seawater toward the basement contact. The geochemical trends at Site C0012 are probably a response to hydration reactions in the volcaniclastic sediment and diffusional Science Reports

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Flow dynamics as Froude‐supercritical turbidity currents encounter metre‐scale slope minibasin topography

Englert,

Hubbard,

Romans

et al. 2023

The Depositional Record

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Seafloor topography can affect turbidity current dynamics on deep‐water slopes, significantly influencing the dispersal of sediment. Despite the common occurrence of topographic complexity, there are few detailed investigations of topographic interactions and their effect on downslope flow evolution in intraslope environments. In this study, the sedimentology and architecture of an Upper Cretaceous intraslope fan succession deposited within an extensional, fault‐bound minibasin are described from a rare, well‐exposed, near‐continuous, oblique depositional‐dip outcrop of the Tres Pasos Formation, Chile. The 2 to 8 m thick studied interval transitions downslope from high‐energy heterolithic strata, including metre‐scale steep‐faced scours, to non‐amalgamated thick‐bedded sandstones. Abrupt increases in sandstone percentage, sandstone bed thickness and grain size occur on the hangingwall blocks of south‐east and north‐east‐dipping normal faults that bound the minibasin. Sandstone beds are dominated by backset or wavy low‐angle stratification proximally, contain compositional banding near faults, and are characterised by increased proportions of planar laminated and structureless turbidite divisions downslope along the transect. Experimental observations of turbidity current interactions with topography are synthesised into a qualitative framework, which is used to interpret flow processes and characteristics from deposit trends. The results reconstruct the response of Froude‐supercritical, stratified turbidity currents with denser basal layers when encountering metre‐scale fault scarps. The analysis shows that metre‐scale topographic features can substantially alter the flow properties of stratified turbidity currents, and their downslope flow evolution to include the development of transitional, depositional and flow‐stripped sediment gravity currents. However, in comparison to base‐of‐slope settings, overall flow conditions are interpreted to be more uniform over slope breaks and zones of flow expansion in a partially confined intraslope environment. These findings have considerable implications for understanding flow response to similar scale morphological features on the seafloor and the potential for flow transformations in intraslope settings.

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Upslope flow of turbidity currents: A comparison among field observations, theory, and laboratory models

Cited by 83 publications

References 0 publications

Fill to spill stratigraphic evolution of a confined turbidite mini-basin succession, and its likely well bore expression: The Castagnola Fm, NW Italy

Fill to spill stratigraphic evolution of a confined turbidite mini-basin succession, and its likely well bore expression: The Castagnola Fm, NW Italy

IODP Expedition 322 Drills Two Sites to Document Inputs to The Nankai Trough Subduction Zone

Flow dynamics as Froude‐supercritical turbidity currents encounter metre‐scale slope minibasin topography

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