1,721,019 research outputs found
FLOW BEHAVIOR OF PONDED TURBIDITY CURRENTS
No full textSea-floor topography can constrict, deflect, or reflect turbidity currents resulting in a range of distinctive deposits. Where flows rebound off slopes and a suspension cloud collects in an enclosed basin, ponded or contained turbidites are deposited. Ponded turbidites have been widely recognized in slope mini-basins and on small, structurally confined basin floors in strike-slip and foreland-basin settings. They can have a variable internal structure the significance of which remains poorly understood in terms of flow behavior. New experiments demonstrate that the ponding process can comprise up to four phases: 1) cloud establishment, 2) inflation, 3) steady-state maintenance, and 4) collapse. The experiments explored the behavior of sustained turbidity currents draining into small basins and show that the ponded suspensions that formare characterized by an important internal interface; this divides a lower outbound-moving layer froman upper return layer. The basal layer evolves to constant concentration and grain size, whereas the upper layer is graded (concentration and grain size decrease upward). During the cloud inflation stage, the concentration and velocity profiles of the ponded suspension evolve, and this phase can dominate the resulting deposit. Outbound internal waves can travel along the interface between the outbound and return layers and impinge against the confining slope, and their amplitude is highest when the density contrast between layers is greatest, e.g., when the input flows are thin and dense. The experiments show that flow reversals can arise in several ways (initial rebound, episodic collapse of the wedge of fluid above the counter slope, "grounding" of the internal velocity interface) and that despite steady input, velocities decay and the deposit grades upwards. Internal waves emanate from the input point, i.e., do not form as reflections off the counter slope. The internal grain-size interface within the suspension may dictate textural trends in sands onlapping the confining slopes. Where flows are partially ponded, internal waves can generate pulsing overspill to basins down dip
INFLATION OF PONDED, PARTICULATE LADEN DENSITY CURRENTS
No full textField-based, physical modeling and analytical research approaches currently suggest that topographically confined particle-laden density currents commonly inflate to produce suspension clouds that generate tabular and texturally homogeneous sedimentary deposits. Here, a novel three-dimensional theoretical model details a phase space of the criteria for inflation as a function of flow duration, basin size and geometry, total mass transport, sediment concentration, and particle grain size. It shows that under most circumstances cloud inflation is unlikely at real-world scales. Even where inflation is possible, inflation relative to initial flow height is small except for suspensions of silt or finer-grained sediment. Tabular deposits therefore either arise from processes other than flow ponding, or deposits in confined settings may be significantly more complex than are currently understood, due to processes of autogenic compensation and channelization, with associated implications for reservoir characterization in applied contexts. This study illustrates the potential of analytical flow modeling as a powerful complement to other research approaches
RHEOLOGICAL COMPLEXITY IN SEDIMENT GRAVITY FLOWS FORCED TO DECELERATE AGAINST A CONFINING SLOPE, BRAUX, SE FRANCE
No full textHybrid event beds are now recognized as an important component of many deep-sea fan and sheet systems. They are interpreted to record the passage of rheologically complex sediment gravity currents (hybrid flows) that comprise turbulent, transitional, and/or laminar zones. Hitherto, the development of hybrid flow character has mainly been recognized in system fringes and attributed to distal and lateral flow transformations and/or declining turbulence energy expressed over lateral scales of several kilometers or more. However, new field data show that deposition from hybrid flows can occur relatively proximally, where flows meet confining topography. Turbidity currents primed to transform to hybrid flows by up-dip erosion and incorporation of clay may be forced to do so by rapid, slope-induced decelerations within 1 km of the slope. Local flow transformation and deposition of hybrid event-beds offer an alternative explanation for unusual facies developed at the foot of flow-confining seafloor slopes
Quantitative Characterization of the Sedimentary Architecture of Shallow-Marine and Paralic Reservoir Analogs: A Database Approach
No full textShallow-marine and paralic clastic depositional systems are described by a large volume of sedimentological, architectural and geomorphological data. A new method that enables the convergence of these datasets into a common descriptive scheme facilitates the identification and application of potential outcrop and modern hydrocarbon-reservoir analogs. To this end, a database has been developed for the collation of data in standardized format, in a way that allows significant comparisons between different depositional systems, and the derivation of consistently defined attributes that can be applied in subsurface studies. The Shallow Marine Architectural Knowledge Store is a relational database devised to include data on the sedimentary architecture of shallow marine and paralic ancient depositional systems, and on the geomorphic organization of corresponding modern environments. The database incorporates data on sedimentary bodies and surfaces and geomorphic units, which are classified on descriptive (e.g. grain size) and interpretive (e.g. sub-environment) categories, and characterized on a variety of attributes (e.g. geometries, spatial relationships, hierarchical relationships). Depositional systems, and stratigraphic intervals or planform segments thereof, are classified on descriptive parameters (e.g. shelf gradient) and controlling factors (e.g. tidal regime) to allow the selection of relevant outcrop or modern analogs. The database can be queried to return a quantified characterization of multiple analogs, and data can be synthesized in models that incorporate uncertainty related to variability in sedimentary heterogeneity. To illustrate the range of genetic units types, depositional systems, associated data and potential applications, example database output is showcased relating to: - the hierarchical arrangement and scaling relationships of architectural elements that form constructional units in Quaternary deltas of different types; - the facies organization of nearshore sandstone belts and the geometry of associated parasequences, from the Upper Cretaceous of the Western Interior Seaway in Utah (USA); - the geometry of modern geomorphic features, and their relations with the geometry of architectural elements interpreted as the preserved product of the morphodynamic evolution of corresponding landforms. Particular attention is paid to how the database output can be applied to the construction of accurate, quantitative 3D geological models
Hybrid event bed character and distribution linked to turbidite system sub-environments: The North Apennine Gottero Sandstone (north-west Italy)
No full textThis study documents the character and occurrence of hybrid event beds (HEBs) deposited across a range of deep-water sub-environments in the Cretaceous-Palaeocene Gottero system, north-west Italy. Detailed fieldwork (>5200m of sedimentary logs) has shown that hybrid event beds are most abundant in the distal confined basin-plain domain (>31% of total thickness). In more proximal sectors, hybrid event beds occur within outer-fan and mid-fan lobes (up to 15% of total thickness), whereas they are not observed in the inner-fan channelized area. Six hybrid event bed types (HEB-1 to HEB-6) were differentiated mainly on basis of the texture of their muddier and chaotic central division (H3). The confined basin-plain sector is dominated by thick (maximum 957m; average 215m) and tabular hybrid event beds (HEB-1 to HEB-4). Their H3 division can include very large substrate slabs, evidence of extensive auto-injection and clast break-up, and abundant mudstone clasts set in a sandy matrix (dispersed clay ca 20%). These beds are thought to have been generated by highly energetic flows capable of delaminating the sea floor locally, and carrying large rip-up clasts for relatively short distances before arresting. The unconfined lobes of the mid-fan sector are dominated by thinner (average 038m) hybrid event beds (HEB-5 and HEB-6). Their H3 divisions are characterized by floating mudstone clasts and clay-enriched matrices (dispersed clay >25%) with hydraulically fractionated components (mica, organic matter and clay flocs). These hybrid event beds are thought to have been deposited by less energetic flows that underwent early turbulence damping following incorporation of mud at proximal locations and by segregation during transport. Although there is a tendency to look to external factors to account for hybrid event bed development, systems like the Gottero imply that intrabasinal factors can also be important; specifically, the type of substrate available (muddy or sandy) and where and how erosion is achieved across the system producing specific hybrid event bed expressions and facies tracts
A database solution for the quantitative characterisation and comparison of deep-marine siliciclastic depositional systems
No full textComparative analyses of deep-marine sedimentological studies are hindered by the wide variety in methods of data collection, scales of observation, resolution, classification approaches and terminology. A relational database, the Deep-Marine Architecture Knowledge Store (DMAKS), has been developed to facilitate such analyses, through the integration of deep-marine sedimentological data collated to a common standard. DMAKS hosts data on siliciclastic deep-marine system boundary conditions, and on architectural and facies properties, including spatial, temporal and hierarchical relationships between units at multiple scales. DMAKS has been devised to include original and literature-derived data from studies of the modern sea-floor, and from ancient successions studied in the subsurface and in outcrop. The database can be used as a research tool in both pure and applied science, allowing the quantitative characterisation of deep-marine systems. The ability to synthesise data from several case studies and to filter outputs on multiple parameters that describe the depositional systems and their controlling factors enables evaluation of the degree to which certain controls affect sedimentary architectures, thereby testing the validity of existing models. In applied contexts, DMAKS aids the selection and application of geological analogues to hydrocarbon reservoirs, and permits the development of predictive models of reservoir characteristics that account for geological uncertainty. To demonstrate the breadth of research applications, example outputs are presented on: (i) the characterisation of channel geometries, (ii) the hierarchical organisation of channelised and terminal deposits, (iii) temporal trends in the deposition of terminal lobes, (iv) scaling relationships between adjacent channel and levee architectural elements, (v) quantification of the likely occurrence of elements of different types as a function of the lateral distance away from an element of known type, (vi) proportions and transition statistics of facies in elements and beds, (vii) variability in net-to-gross ratios among element types
Tectonic Influence on the Geomorphology of Submarine Canyons: Implications for Deep-Water Sedimentary Systems
Full text linkA database-informed metastudy of 294 globally distributed submarine canyons has been conducted with the aim of elucidating the role of tectonic setting on submarine-canyon geomorphology. To achieve this, data from seafloor and subsurface studies derived from 136 peer-reviewed publications and from open-source worldwide bathymetry datasets have been statistically analyzed. In particular, relationships between margin type (active vs. passive) or plate-boundary type (convergent vs. transform vs. complex) have been assessed for key morphometric parameters of submarine canyons, including: streamwise length, maximum and average width and depth, canyon sinuosity, average canyon thalweg gradient, and maximum canyon sidewall steepness. In addition, possible scaling relationships between canyon morphometric parameters and characteristics of the associated terrestrial catchment, continental shelf and slope, and of the broader physiographic setting for canyons along both active and passive margins have been evaluated. The following principal findings arise: 1) overall canyon geomorphology is not markedly different across tectonic settings; 2) slope failure might be more important in passive-margin canyons compared to active ones, possibly due to seismic strengthening in the latter; 3) some aspects of canyon geomorphology scale with attributes of the source-to-sink system and environmental setting, but the strength and sign in scaling might differ between active and passive margins, suggesting that the extent to which canyon geomorphology can be predicted depends on the tectonic setting. Insights from our analysis augment and improve conceptual, experimental and numerical models of slope systems at the scale of individual canyons and source-to-sink systems, and increase our understanding of the complex role played by tectonic setting in shaping deep-water systems
HYBRID EVENT BEDS GENERATED BY LOCAL SUBSTRATE DELAMINATION ON A CONFINED-BASIN FLOOR
No full textThe outer parts of deep-water fans, and the basin plains into which they pass, are often described as areas where erosion is negligible and turbidite systems have net aggradation. Nevertheless, sedimentological and stratigraphic analysis of outer-fan-lobe and confined-basin-plain deposits in Cretaceous-Paleocene Gottero Sandstone (NW Italy) has revealed extensive but cryptic bedding-parallel substrate-delamination features at the base of many sheet-like event beds. These comprise a variety of shallow but wide scour structures showing evidence of lateral expansion by sand injection. The scours commonly occur at the base of beds made up of a basal clean sandstone overlain by argillaceous sandstone containing abundant mudstone clasts and locally large substrate rafts (up to 20 meters long). These strata are interpreted as a type of hybrid event bed. Field observations suggest that mud-clast entrainment occurred by delamination at the base of dense sandy flows. The large rafts, in some cases only partly detached, were incorporated in the flows locally and then carried for short distances (hundreds of meters to a few kilometers) before partly disaggregating and undergoing deformation due to internal shearing. The development of such features may be common in flat and/or confined basin settings where high-volume flows interact with a cohesive and well layered substrate (e.g., muddy outer fans or confined or ponded basins with thick mudstone caps). Delamination is therefore suggested as an alternative mechanism leading to the formation of hybrid event beds following local substrate entrainment on the basin floor as opposed to on more remote slopes and at channel-lobe transition zones
Influence of flow containment and substrate entrainment upon sandy hybrid event beds containing a co-genetic mud-clast-rich division
No full textIndividual sandstone beds containing a co-genetic mud-clast-rich (MCR) division are being increasingly described from the distal reaches of many deep-water fan systems. These deposits, termed hybrid event beds, are considered to record a flow whose composition and rheology changed significantly to become increasingly more argillaceous (clay-rich), MCR and turbulence-suppressed during the deposition of a single event bed. Studies of confined systems, in which gravity flows were affected by confining sea-floor topography, have documented similar deposits recording turbulence suppression in proximity to confining sea-floor topography (e.g., basin margins). In new research from a confined, contained system from the Castagnola Basin of NW Italy, lateral transects of individual sandstone beds 5 km in extent show that individual sandstone beds contain a co-genetic MCR division which is often; 1) extensive across the basin rather than localised adjacent to confining topography; 2) exhibits rapid, significant and repeated variation in depositional character over short length scales (tens to hundreds of metres), specifically in terms of the thickness of co-genetic MCR divisions and the size and abundance of clasts contained within them; and 3) exhibits variation in depositional character over larger length scales (>1 km) which is non-systematic in relation to palaeoflow direction or increasing proximity towards the counter slope of the downstream confining northern basin margin. A suite of factors within the Castagnola Basin is thought to have resulted in the deposition of these co-genetic MCR divisions whose thickness and distribution are less predictable in relation to confining sea-floor topography than those described from other confined uncontained settings. Specific factors include; 1) recent and voluminous entrainment of muddy substrate at seemingly random locations across the basin floor and their support and transport within a high sediment concentration gravity flow; and 2) containment (ponding) of gravity flows within a confined basin, which is thought to have established exten\sive and complex three dimensional flow dynamics across the basin following flow interaction with multiple basin margins. This research highlights the role of entrainment of muddy substrate and subsequent transport processes of muddy substrate for developing co-genetic MCR divisions, as well as the importance of understanding the degree of containment depositional systems experienced when considering the spatial distribution of depositional facies, and thus reservoir quality, in topographically complex settings. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Hierarchical classifications of the sedimentary architecture of deep-marine depositional systems
No full textHierarchical classifications are used in the field of clastic deep-marine sedimentary geology to assign spatial and temporal order to the sedimentary architecture of preserved deep-marine deposits and to genetically related modern landforms. Although such classifications aim to simplify the description of complex systems, the wide range of developed approaches limits the ease with which deep-marine architectural data derived from different sources can be reconciled and compared. This work systematically reviews and compares a selection of the most significant published hierarchical schemes for the description of deep-marine sedimentary architecture. A detailed account of each scheme is provided, outlining its aims, environmental contexts and methods of data collection, together with the diagnostic criteria used to discern each hierarchical order from observational standpoints (e.g., via facies associations, geometry, scale and bounding-surface relationships) and also on interpretational grounds (e.g., processes and sub-environments of deposition). The inconsistencies and pitfalls in the application of each scheme are also considered. The immediate goal of this review is to assist sedimentologists in their attempts to apply hierarchical classifications, both in the contexts in which the classifications were originally developed and in alternative settings. An additional goal is to assess the causes of similarities and differences between schemes, which may arise, for example, in relation to their different aims, scales of interest or environmental focus (e.g., channelized or lobate units, or both). Similarities are found between the approaches that commonly underlie the hierarchical classifications. Hierarchies are largely erected on the basis of common types of observations, in particular relating to the lithology and geometries of deposits, in association with analysis of bounding-surface characteristics and relationships. These factors are commonly considered in parallel with their associated genetic interpretations in terms of processes or (sub-) environments of deposition. A final goal of the review is to assess whether a universal standard for the description of deep-marine sedimentary architecture can be devised. Despite the commonalities that exist between classification approaches, a confident reconciliation of the different hierarchical classification schemes does not appear to be achievable in the current state of knowledge
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