Variation in canyon morphology on the Great Barrier Reef margin, north-eastern Australia: The influence of slope and barrier reefs

Puga‐Bernabéu, Ángel; Webster, Jody M.; Beaman, Robin J.; Guilbaud, Vincent

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2013.03.001

Cited by 75 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Carbonate debris flow deposit, often composed of carbonate clasts and micritic matrix, is a common type of sediment gravity flow deposits along the canyons or channels developed at the edge of the passive continental shelf (McHargue et al 2011;Puga-Bernabéu et al 2013). The gravity flow deposits are massively distributed and unsorted, and the deposits within the canyons and/or channels are lenticular (Scholle et al 1983;Macauley and Hubbard 2013).…”

Section: Slope Facies and Fault Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Type and evolution of carbonate platforms in Jixian Period Mesoproterozoic: southwestern margin of Ordos Basin

Chen

Xiao

et al. 2015

J Petrol Explor Prod Technol

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The Ordos block experienced extension in the Mesoproterozoic, during which the Longshan-Kuanping and Haiyuan rifts developed on its southwest margin. The Jixian Group (1.6-1.4 Ga) is mainly exposed on the rimmed and ramp-type platforms at the Qishan County, southwest of the Ordos block. The deposition associated with the rimmed platform margin consists of platform facies, platform edge facies, and slope facies, which are characterized by small tidal creeks, mud cracks and scour troughs, rockfalls, respectively. The ramp-type platform is dominated by platform edge facies, shelf facies and slope facies and featured by intraclastic dolostones, tempestites and debris flow sediments respectively. The syndepositional normal faults were well developed at the early stage of the rifting. Fault-related cracks and folds present in the adjacent strata. The uplift of the footwall rimmed the platform. The drag structures determine the local sedimentary environment. In the final stage of the rifting, the fault movement stopped. The surrounding rocks were undeformed. The slope became less steep, resulting in the formation of ramp-type platform. The study area in the Jixian period, Mesoproterozoic is located at a palaeocontinental margin, which has already shown good petroleum prospectivity. A clear study on the type of carbonate platforms and the evolution of the platforms can help reduce exploration risks by improve the understanding of the presence of the source rocks.

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Section: Slope Facies and Fault Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Type and evolution of carbonate platforms in Jixian Period Mesoproterozoic: southwestern margin of Ordos Basin

Chen

Xiao

et al. 2015

J Petrol Explor Prod Technol

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“…The common mechanisms to produce axial incision are downslope sediment gravity flows derived from the canyon head or generated by mass wasting along the canyon walls (Parsons et al 2007). Previous studies show that the widening and deepening of the canyons resulted from recurrent axial incision during glacial epochs (Zhu et al 2010;Li et al 2015a;Zhou et al 2015), having similar characteristics to the slope-confined canyons in other continental margins (Baztan et al 2005;Puga-Bernabeu et al 2013). Flat floors of the canyons shown by the bathymetric data indicate the present axial incision is weak.…”

Section: Controls On Morphology Of the Canyonsmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…10). This correlation indicates that axial incision is an important factor controlling canyon morphology and evolution (Popescu et al 2004;Baztan et al 2005;Sultan et al 2007;Puga-Bernabeu et al 2013). Erosion related to the axial incision can destabilize sediments from canyon walls by undercuting their lower parts and trigger mass wasting of different sizes affecting the canyon's heads and flanks (Baztan et al 2005).…”

Section: Controls On Morphology Of the Canyonsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Slope-confined submarine canyons in the Baiyun deep-water area, northern South China Sea: variation in their modern morphology

Zhou

et al. 2016

Mar Geophys Res

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On the basis of newly collected multibeam bathymetric data, chirp profiles and existing seismic data, we presented a detailed morphological interpretation of a series of slope-confined canyons in water depths of 300-2000 m in the Baiyun deep-water area, northern margin of the South China Sea. Although these canyons are commonly characterized by regular spacing and a straightline shape, they vary in their lengths, starting and ending water depths, canyon relief, slope gradients, wall slope gradients and depth profiles along the axis. The eastern canyons (C1-C8) have complex surface features, low values in their slope gradient, canyon relief and wall slope gradient and high values in their length and starting and ending depth contrasting to the western ones (C9-C17). From the bathymetric data and chirp profiles, we interpret two main processes that have controlled the morphology and evolution of the canyons: axial incision and landsliding. The western part of the shelf margin where there were at least four stages of submerged reefs differs from the eastern part of the shelf margin where sedimentary undulations occurred at a water depth of *650 m. We consider that the variation in morphology of submarine canyons in the study area is the result of multiple causes, with the leading cause being the difference in stability of the upper slope which is related to the submerged reefs and sedimentary undulations.

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“…This broad statement was based on the inherently steep slopes and the continuous, rigid build‐ups of tropical reef‐rimmed carbonate platforms, which favour a linear sediment supply and subsequent elongate sediment accumulation at the base of slope. However, recent work on two archetypical tropical reef platforms, the Bahamas and the Great Barrier Reef (Puga‐Bernabéu et al ., , ; Mulder et al ., ,b; Betzler et al ., ; Reijmer et al ., ; and references therein), and the growing examples of calciclastic submarine fans in the ancient record (Betzler et al., ; see Payros & Pujalte, , for a review) suggest that the carbonate apron model needs revision.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Although the understanding of carbonate slope systems has substantially improved in recent years, most current research (Lantzsch et al ., ; Verwer et al ., ; Van der Kooij et al ., ; Loucks et al ., ; Puga‐Bernabéu et al ., , ; Mulder et al ., ,b, ; Rankey & Doolittle, ; Santantonio et al ., ; Betzler et al ., ; Minzoni et al ., ; Reijmer et al ., ) has focused on accretionary margins and growth escarpment margins (according to the scheme proposed by Playton et al ., ), whereas carbonate deposition related to inherited escarpment margins remains relatively poorly understood. In addition, most known examples of carbonate accumulation on inherited escarpments are related to extensional fault scarps (Bosence et al ., ; Cross et al ., ; Brachert et al ., ; Drzewiecki & Simó, ; Bosence, ; Cross, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Heterozoan carbonate deposition on a steep basement escarpment (Late Miocene, Almería, south‐east Spain)

et al. 2017

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Heterozoan temperate‐water carbonates mixed with varying amounts of terrigenous grains and muddy matrix (Azagador limestone) accumulated on and at the toe of an inherited escarpment during the late Tortonian–early Messinian (late Miocene) at the western margin of the Almería–Níjar Basin in south‐east Spain. The escarpment was the eastern end of an uplifting antiform created by compressive folding of Triassic rocks of the Betic basement. Channelized coralline‐algal/bryozoan rudstone to coarse‐grained packstone, together with matrix‐supported conglomerate, are the dominant lithofacies in the higher outcrops, comprising the deposits on the slope. These sediments mainly fill small canyon‐shaped, half‐graben depressions formed by normal faults active before, during and after carbonate sedimentation. Roughly bedded and roughly laminated coralline‐algal/bryozoan rudstone to coarse‐grained packstone are the main lithofacies forming an apron of four small (kilometre‐scale) lobes at the toe of the south‐eastern side of the escarpment (Almería area). Channelized and roughly bedded coralline‐algal/bryozoan rudstone to coarse‐grained packstone, conglomerates, packstone and sandy silt accumulated in a small channel‐lobe system at the toe of the north‐eastern side of the escarpment (Las Balsas area). Carbonate particles and terrigenous grains were sourced from shallow‐water settings and displaced downslope by sediment density flows that preferentially followed the canyon‐shaped depressions. Roughly laminated rudstone to packstone formed by grain flows on the initially very steep slope, whereas the rest of the carbonate lithofacies were deposited by high‐density turbidite currents. The steep escarpment and related break‐in‐slope at the toe favoured hydraulic jumps and the subsequent deposition of coarse‐grained, low‐transport efficiency skeletal‐dominated sediment in the apron lobes. Accelerated uplift of the basement caused a relative sea‐level fall resulting in the formation of outer‐ramp carbonates on the apron lobes, which were in turn overlain by lower Messinian coral reefs. The Almería example is the first known ‘base of slope’ apron within temperate‐water carbonate systems.

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Variation in canyon morphology on the Great Barrier Reef margin, north-eastern Australia: The influence of slope and barrier reefs

Cited by 75 publications

References 61 publications

Type and evolution of carbonate platforms in Jixian Period Mesoproterozoic: southwestern margin of Ordos Basin

Type and evolution of carbonate platforms in Jixian Period Mesoproterozoic: southwestern margin of Ordos Basin

Slope-confined submarine canyons in the Baiyun deep-water area, northern South China Sea: variation in their modern morphology

Heterozoan carbonate deposition on a steep basement escarpment (Late Miocene, Almería, south‐east Spain)

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