TitleA review of undulated sediment features on Mediterranean prodeltas: distinguishing sediment transport structures from sediment deformation
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2011
AuthorsUrgeles R, Cattaneo A, Puig P, Liquete C, De Mol B, Amblas D, Sultan N, Trincardi F
JournalMarine Geophysical Research
Volume32
Pagination49–69
Date Publishedapr
ISSN0025-3235
KeywordsHyperpycnal flows, Internal waves, Prodeltas, Sediment waves, slope failure, Undulated sediments
AbstractMost Mediterranean prodeltas show undulated sediment features on the foresets of their Holocene wedges. These features have been described all along the Mediterranean for the last 30 years and interpreted as either soft sediment deformation and incipient landsliding, and more recently, as sediment transport structures. We perform a review and detailed analysis of these undulated sediment features using ultrahigh-resolution seismic and bathymetric data as well as geotechnical information and hydrodynamic time series and hydrographic transects. In this study we show that the characteristics of the sediment undulations (configuration of the reflections down section and between adjacent undulations and overall morphologic characteristics) are incompatible with a genesis by sediment deformation alone and do not show evidence of sediment deformation in most cases. Various processes in the benthic boundary layer can be invoked to explain the variety of features observed in the numerous areas displaying sediment undulations. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
URLhttp://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-79961209935&partnerID=tZOtx3y1
DOI10.1007/s11001-011-9125-1