Sedimentary Geology 294 (2013) 266281

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Sedimentary Geology
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/sedgeo

Sediment accumulation rates and turbidite frequency in the eastern

Algerian margin. An attempt to examine the triggering mechanisms
Pierre Giresse a,, Maria-Angela Bassetti a, Henri Pauc a, Virginie Gaullier a, Jacques Dverchre b,
Rabah Bracene c, Abdelkarim Yelles d
a
Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Mditerranens (CEFREM), UMR 5110 CNRS Universit de Perpignan Via Domitia, 52, Avenue Paul Alduy,
66860 Cedex Perpignan, France
b
Universit de Brest, UMR 6538, Domaines Ocaniques, Institut Universitaire Europen de la Mer, Place Copernic, 29280 Plouzan, France
c
SONATRACH Exploration, Centre Research & Exploration, Boumerdes 35000, Algeria
d
CRAAG, Route de l'Observatoire, BP 63, Bouzareah, Alger, Algeria

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: From the analysis of seven new sediment piston-cores sampled in 2005 (MARADJA-2 FrenchAlgerian cruise),
Received 13 February 2013 this study aims to identify for the rst time possible late Pleistocene to recent sedimentary instabilities controlled
Received in revised form 13 June 2013 by seismicity off or close to the eastern coast of Algeria. The detailed lithologic study allows us to identify the
Accepted 14 June 2013
frequency of the gravity events (turbidites, debrites) and to discuss their geographical sources and triggering
Available online 26 June 2013
mechanisms. Based on a chronostratigraphy of 24 14C AMS datings, sediment accumulation rates in zones
Editor: Dr. J. Knight extending off Bejaia and Annaba and, in particular, semi-quantitative analysis of the microfossils and lithogenic
tracers of the origin of gravity ows was discussed. Two sediment cores, here considered as reference cores,
Keywords: enabled the estimation of palaeoenvironmental parameters that controlled sedimentation: (1) in the prodelta
Algerian margin of Soummam Oued, after 2215 cal yr BP, oods were less frequent and sediment accumulation rates decreased
Sediment accumulation rates because of a drier climate; (2) in the middle slope to the NE of Annaba, a location shielded from gravity ows, an
Turbidites increased sedimentation rate coincided with the passage of warmer waters leading to maxima of carbonate
Sedimentary instabilities biogenic uxes (particularly pteropods). Off Bejaia, two deep sediment cores show a spectacular increase in
Seismicity
sediment accumulation rate between 2200 and 1000 cal yr BP while turbidites become more frequent. According
to the eustatic and climatic stability of this interval, an episode of strong slope instability of the slope is suggested.
Both sediment cores on the slope of Annaba indicate an increase in gravity ows during the same last thousand
years, which is tentatively related to a regional increase of seismicity during this interval. This spatial distribution
of gravity events is clearly different to that of the western margin where the sedimentation is less perturbed.
2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
This work is a contribution to the more general goal of the MARADJA
(MARge Active DJAzar). The programme consists of trying to better
assess the role of active tectonics on depositional patterns in the Algerian
Margin and deep basin. In 2005, the MARADJA 2 oceanographic cruise
identied the main structural, morphological and sedimentological
characteristics of the slope and the deep basin of the easternmost
Algerian continental margin. Hitherto, only the morphological and struc-
tural evidence for active deformation at the sea oor has been explored
(Kherroubi et al., 2009). Thus, the objective of this study is to dene
for the rst time the late Quaternary sediment deposition pattern and
sedimentary processes taking place along the margin from Great Kabylia
to the border between Algeria and Tunisia (Fig. 1) which is apparently
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: giresse@univ-perp.fr (P. Giresse).
seismically more active in the instrumental time span than the western
margin (Buforn et al., 2004).
Most well documented turbidite successions are interpreted to be
deposited during or shortly after a lowstand systems tract episode
(Mitchum, 1985; Mutti, 1985; Den Hartog Jager et al., 1993; Pickering
et al., 1995; Rothwell et al., 1998). However, this concept has been
questioned because some active gravity-induced deposition coincided
with highstand systems tract conditions (e.g., Piper and Savoye, 1993;
Dennielou et al., 2003; Carvajal and Steel, 2006; Giresse et al., 2009;
Covault and Graham, 2010). Another trigger may be climate controlled
changes in sediment discharge as in a canyon system offshore the
hyperarid Western Sahara (Henrich et al., 2010). Lastly, seismicity
could have been important at a regional scale. The correlation between
mapped seaoor instabilities and seismicity is not straightforward
(Camerlenghi et al., 2010), mainly because attributing an identied
mass movement to a given earthquake requires careful and local-scale
multiproxy analysis (Nougus et al., 2010). In addition, tectonic and
igneous events or associated diapirism may trigger enhanced periods

0037-0738/$ see front matter 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sedgeo.2013.06.005
 P. Giresse et al. / Sedimentary Geology 294 (2013) 266281 267

Fig. 1. Main geological units of the Maghrebian Chain (after Domzig et al., 2006) and study zone of MARADJA 2.

of mass transport deposits and turbidite deposition (Gamboa et al.,
2010, for Brazil; Alves and Lourenco, 2010, for E Crete).
This work focuses on two zones of this eastern margin offshore
Algeria that were sampled by gravity cores: (1) the Bejaia zone
between 5 and 522E (Fig. 2) and (2) the Annaba zone between
740 and 8E (Fig. 3). The main aim was to analyse (1) how turbidite
frequency and accumulation rates varied over time (during lowstand,
transgressive and highstand system tract conditions; LST, TST, and
HST), and (2) then infer what triggered the turbidites (earthquakes,
sea level or climatic changes). To measure better the possible inu-
ence of sediment ux change linked to climate, two reference core
sections were analysed on part of a slope sheltered from main gravity
mechanisms where the measures of oxygen isotopes were coupled
with micropalaeontological observations, and in the Soummam
Oued prodelta.
Various proxies (as reworked bioclasts) of the erosion of the last LST
deposits lying on the shelf edge are identied and semi-quantied, and
should improve understanding of the origins of the different sediment
sources. Finally, we intend to compare these deposition processes with
those described previously in the western part of the Algerian margin.
2. Geological, seismological and environmental backgrounds
Northern Algeria is an orogen, namely the Maghrebian belt which is
composed from south to north of (1) the External Domain or Tellian
units; (2) the Cretaceous ysch nappes which thrust the External Domain
and are composed of former sediment of the Tethys Ocean; and (3) the
Internal Domain, composed of a Hercynian basement, sometimes associ-
ated with its sedimentary cover (Durand-Delga and Fonbot, 1980; Wildi,
1983; Piqu et al., 2010) (Fig. 1).

Fig. 2. Shaded bathymetry (50 m resolution DEM) of the Bejaia area and positions of four Kllenberg cores (KMDJ3336).
268 P. Giresse et al. / Sedimentary Geology 294 (2013) 266281
Fig. 3. Shaded bathymetry (50 m resolution DEM) of the Annaba area and positions of three Kllenberg cores (KMDJ3738).
This study of the eastern margin of Algeria concerns respectively the
offshore areas close to Annaba (Fig. 2) and close to Bejaia (Fig. 3). Annaba
is situated in a NeogeneQuaternary depression dominated to the west
by reliefs of the Hercynian basement of the Kabyle Dorsal. Bejaia is located
between the Great Kabylia and the Lesser Kabylia; its catchment area
belongs to the External Domain, which is bordered to the west by wide
outcrops of Cretaceous ysch.
Seismic activity of the Algerian margin is linked to convergence
between the African and European plates. Crustal shortening is
~5 mm yr1 in a N60W direction at the longitude of Algiers (Nocquet
and Calais, 2004). Previous MARADJA studies showed two different
deep-seated tectonic styles from east to west (Dverchre et al., 2005;
Domzig et al., 2006): the eastern margin and central margin displays
a purely compressive nite strain and seismic activity, whereas the
westernmost margin (from Tenes to Oran) displays both strikeslip
and reverse faulting which is apparently seismically less active in the
instrumental time span (Buforn et al., 2004). Submarine landslides
have been systematically reported along the western and central
Algerian margin (Domzig et al., 2009; Cattaneo et al., 2010).
Two main rivers are to be considered in the eastern part of Northern
Algeria: the Soummam Oued and the Seybouse Oued (Figs. 2, 3). To the
west, the Soummam Oued pours into a rather narrow corridor below
the reliefs consisting of ne-grain yschs, or sandy marls (Domzig et
al., 2009), the main part of the suspended matter is composed of ne
or very ne particles. The average solid discharge is 4 106 tons/year
and occasionally several million tons are poured in a few months of
the winter season when exceptional suspended matter concentration
(N 200 g l1) is recorded (Pauc et al., 1997). In the East, Seybouse
Oued runs through a wide NeogeneQuaternary depression and drains
a rather small area of Tellian ysch ending in a solid discharge of only
1.2 106 tons/year (Leclaire, 1972).
The continental shelf of the eastern part of Algeria, one of the
narrowest of the Maghreb, ranges in width from 3 to 10 km. The
slope is on average 1; the whole shelf and slope measuring generally
less than 20 km wide. At 120 m water depth, the continental shelf
break is indented where submarine canyon heads cut into the shelf.
The water depth of the basin oor ranges from 1000 m to 2000 m
(Leclaire, 1972).
During the Quaternary, the dominant contribution to sea level
change has been the periodic exchange of mass between ice sheets
and oceans (Lambeck and Chappell, 2001; Trnqvist and Hijma,
2012). At the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) global sea level dropped
by around 120 m. This period corresponds here to the LST deposition.
Then an irregular rate of glacial melting from the onset at about
19,000 years ago to the termination at about 7000 years ago corre-
sponds to the deposition of the TST. During a short interval (Younger
Dryas) sea levels remained constant suggesting a period of global
cessation of ice retreat. By ca. 7000 BP a sharp change in the rate of rise
in both ocean volume and sea levels took place, and the overall rise
after ca 7000 BP became negligible. This interval saw the HST setting.
Off Annaba (Fig. 4A), rocky outcrops (in particular of volcanic
rocks) are common and surrounded by very coarse clastic Pleistocene
deposits; part of the sands and gravels consists of bioclasts: calcare-
ous algal, bryozoans, molluscs, sea urchins, or large benthic foramin-
ifers (Ammonia beccarii and Elphidium crispum), sometimes strongly
oxidised. Gravels or siliceous sands are rather rare. Seybouse Oued
ood deposits accumulate in a fan, which does not exceed the middle
part of the shelf (Leclaire, 1972).
 P. Giresse et al. / Sedimentary Geology 294 (2013) 266281
Fig. 4. Simplied sedimentological maps of the continental shelf of the sectors of (A) Annaba and (B) Bejaia (redrawn according to Leclaire, 1972).
The Bejaia shelf presents a contrast between its western part,
which is as varied as Annaba and dominated by the silty and sandy
deposits of the oods of Soummam Oued (Fig. 4B). Commonly, the
outer edges of the shelf show relict sedimentary cover at the surface.
Muds with temperate, then subarctic microfauna are associated with
in particular Hyalinea baltica. At temperate latitudes, this species was
found to be rather abundant in shallow water during cold periods
(Murray, 1991). This fauna supplied a 14C age of around 30,000 yr BP,
linked to Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3) (Leclaire, 1972).
3. Sampling and methods
In 2005, the MARADJA 2 cruise IFREMER R/V Le Surot obtained
continuous seaoor multibeam bathymetry and imagery, very high
to high-resolution sub-bottom proling, and sediment samples
using a Kllenberg piston-core type corer. In this paper, we provide
a detailed sedimentological overview of seven cores recovered during
this cruise. The study of the seismic records (Chirp in particular)
based on the same data set are not discussed extensively here but
have been already used for determining Quaternary fold and fault
deformation offshore (Kherroubi et al., 2009) and will be discussed
in another paper (Gaullier et al., in preparation).
Most of the core sections indicate recurring presence of turbiditic
deposits or mass movements. To estimate the palaeoenvironment
parameters that controlled sedimentation, one sediment core was
studied in places shielded from the gravity mechanisms in each
269
geographical area, i.e., an interuve slope environment in the Annaba
area and a pro-delta environment in the Bejaia area.
Based on the lithological changes observed, sediment samples
were taken at an average of 15 cm interval, but this interval was
reduced to 0.5 or 1 cm according to colour or texture changes of the
divisions of each turbidite sequence. Samples were then analysed by
standard methods including measurements of water content, simpli-
ed grain-size analysis by wet sieving through a 315 m and 40 m
mesh, calcimetry and microscopic study of microfaunal and mineral-
ogical sand contents. The abundance of various proxies of coastal
lowstand deposit originating from the outer edge or the shelf (relict
coastal foraminifers as E. crispum, A. beccarii, and Quinqueloculina
seminulum, vegetal debris from lagoon deposits, evolved glauconitic
grains or oxidised debris) was recognised. These particles were then
counted. The mineral composition of some intervals was studied by
means of X-ray diffraction using cobalt radiation.
Oxygen stable isotope analyses were carried out at the Isotope
Laboratory of the Geoscience Department of the University of Bremen.
Chronostratigraphy is based on 25 AMS 14C dates measured in biogenic
carbonates from planktic foraminifers collected in the hemipelagic
intervals. Measurements were carried out at Poznan Radiocarbon
Laboratory. Calibration into calendar scales was calculated using Intcal
09 and Marine 09 radiocarbon age calibration curves 050,000 cal yr BP
(Reimer et al., 2009). Calendar ages are given with 1 sigma range
(Table 1). On this basis, sediment accumulation rates were calculated
(except KMDJ38 based also on DansgaardOeschger and Heinrich
events).
270 P. Giresse et al. / Sedimentary Geology 294 (2013) 266281

Table 1
Radiocarbon chronology of the seven cores, calibrated using Reimer et al. (2009) programme. Calendar ages are given with 1 standard deviation and do not include reservoir age
correction because on the Algerian margin, there are only four measures all located in the same zone close to the Bay of Algiers, values ranging from 376 to 516 years (Butzin et al.,
2005).

Core number Depth core (cm) Lab. no Conventional 14C age (yr BP) Calendar age (cal yr BP)

One sigma ranges Mean Intercept value

KMDJ35 282 284 Poz-18833 4795 30 4895 5134 5014 0.939256

376 385 Poz-18835 5730 35 6454 6457 6456 0.012115
552 560 Poz-18836 7840 40 8555 8647 8601 0.988926
774 783 Poz-18837 4825 35 5485 5514 5459 0.505311
KMDJ36 201 219 Poz-18839 2265 30 2184 2195 2189 0.124019
398 410 Poz-18840 5105 35 5759 5820 5769 0.679068
866.5 871.5 Poz-18841 15,990 80 18,977 19,310 19,143 0.988868
KMDJ34 198 203 Poz-23461 1145 30 980 1038 1009 0.630028
398 409 Poz-23462 1540 30 1383 1420 1401 0.447511
581 595 Poz-23463 2300 35 2212 2220 2216 0.082254
846 864 Poz-23469 8260 50 9133 9304 9218 0.930786
KMDJ33 295 304 Poz-18832 2295 30 2214 2217 2215 0.033763
712 718 Poz-18904 3060 35 3247 3341 3294 1,
KMDJ37 194 196 Poz-18842 3290 35 3473 3559 3516 1,
458.5 465.5 Poz-18843 8880 40 9915 9962 9936 0.232506
847.5 852.5 Poz-18844 16,080 80 18,980 19,119 19,064 0.397527
KMDJ39 304 307 Poz-18845 4635 35 5313 5327 5320 0.184168
450 458 Poz-18846 8890 50 9919 9974 9946 0.256619
886 887.5 Poz-18847 24,050 160 28,634 29,160 28697 1,
KMDJ38 02 Poz-33769 880 30 737 796 766 0.791889
89 99 Poz-33770 7120 50 7875 7892 7883 0.174894
280 290 Poz-23465 20,850 160 24,562 24,659 24,610 0.188766
603.5 609.5 Poz-23464 39,200 1000 42,968 44167 43,567 1,
802 809 Poz-23470 >50,000

4. Sediment facies
4.1. Main echofacies of the cores sites
We give succinct descriptions of the main seismo-facies of the
core sites (Fig. 5). One sediment core in each geographical area
was recovered in places shielded from gravity mechanisms to enable
the estimation of the palaeoenvironment parameters that controlled
the sedimentation. Off Bejaia (Fig. 2), the extent of the prodelta of
Soummam Oued was explored by Leclaire (1972) and allowed selection
of core KMDJ33 site. Off Annaba (Fig. 3), core KMDJ38 site is located
between two canyon heads. Here, the high-resolution seismic prole
indicates a homogeneous or very weakly layered cover of about 10 m
in thickness which overlies a rough erosion surface.
Off Annaba, two sites were selected downslope of several important
submarine valleys. The echo-character of the KMDJ39 site is typically
characterised by parallel to sub-parallel sub-bottom reectors. The
KMDJ37 site closer to the foot slope belongs to the same sector with
layered echo-facies with parallel and continuous reectors.
Off Bejaia, the Chirp prole indicates that core KMDJ34 site corre-
sponds to an interuve isolated from the wide channels which show
transit-erosion (rough echofacies), which are mapped to the east
and west. The site of core KMDJ36 also belongs to a zone which is
presumed to act as an interuve.
Core KMDJ 35 is located in one of the rare sectors of this margin
where Chirp proles indicate buried or supercial transparent echo
facies just below a main deep valley, which is characterised by chaotic
echofacies.
black spots (probably iron monosulphide aggregates, i.e. hydrotroilite,
Laudermilk and Woodford, 1940). A higher density of these spots or a
darker organic pigmentation are scattered at different levels (765 cm,
690 cm, 520530 cm, 410420 cm, 234 cm and 78 cm). The presence
of much degraded vegetal bres with some cellular tissue can also
indicate, in certain intervals, maxima of terrestrial ows.
The sand content in this core is not a representative siliciclastic
contribution because only a few grains of quartz of 300 to 400 m-size
are observed, in particular in the upper 2 m. The low concentrations
of ne sand, which can reach up to 10%, correspond mainly to accumu-
lations of tests of pelagic microfauna, essentially pteropod debris. The
carbonate contents vary between 20 and 50%. A semi-quantitative
estimation of the fragments of pteropods leads to the observation of a
good correlation with carbonate content (Fig. 6).
The scarcity of downslope reworking can be veried through
examination of the sandy fractions. The tests of coastal Miliolidae such
as Q. seminulum, altered or partially dissolved during shelf emersion in-
tervals, are only found in a few places. Among the benthic foraminifers,
the vertical distribution of the shallow water H. baltica depicts a similar
trend suggesting the same outer shelf edge provenance. However, the
input from relict deposits of the edge of the shelf is very limited, since
littoral species, including usual markers (i.e., A. beccarii and E. crispum
coastal foraminifers) are found extremely rarely.
The part of the accumulation connected to gravity ows must be
considered as unimportant in terms of the sedimentary balance of
KMDJ38. The deposition is essentially hemipelagic and constitutes a
good basis for comparison to other sectors of this margin where various
gravity mechanisms overlap.

4.2. Sediment cores in areas shielded from gravity processes

4.2.1. An interuve environment (core KMDJ38)
This is an 8.07 m-long sediment core retrieved from the slope east
of Annaba and off the mouth of Seybouse Oued (Fig. 3). The site is
halfway up a slope (at 1057 m water depth), which is distal to the
canyon heads and acts as an extended interuve. The sediment is a
rather homogeneous and structureless grey-beige mud with abundant
4.2.2. A prodelta environment (core KMDJ33)
This 7.20 m-long sediment core was taken in 66 m water depth,
off the mouth of Soummam Oued and within its inner shelf prodelta
(Leclaire, 1972). Overall, it is represented by an accumulation of
grey-beige sandy mud abundantly speckled with black clusters where
we observe a recurrence of darker and sandier levels of several
centimetres in thickness (Fig. 7).
 P. Giresse et al. / Sedimentary Geology 294 (2013) 266281 271

Fig. 5. Examples of Chirp sections at the location of sediment cores KMDJ34, KMDJ35, KMDJ36, KMDJ37, KMDJ38 and KMDJK39, vertical lines indicate the position of the cores.

Fig. 6. Oxygen isotopic curve from the tests of planktic foraminifers, enabling the location of the complete succession of the DansgaardOeschger and Heinrich events in core
KMDJ38. On the basis of this, sedimentation rates were calculated for each interval. Basic sedimentological parameters are shown with relative abundance of littoral foraminifers
and lithogenic markers of sediment provenance.
272 P. Giresse et al. / Sedimentary Geology 294 (2013) 266281

Fig. 7. Core KMDJ33. Major oods of the Soummam Oued are represented by darker and sandier layers of several centimetres in thickness. The bases of ood sequences are outlined
with white lines on the core, yellow arrows indicate light layers of ne deposition occurring toward the end of each sequence. Lowstand deposit markers originating from the shelf
outer edge are plotted on the basis of 10-g fraction observation.

Fig. 8. Core KMDJ39. Grain-size log and core photographs of some distinctive sedimentary intervals. (a) (b) Coarse-grained turbidites (T) of several centimetres around 0.60 and
6.70 m, the presence of sharp erosional contacts, normal size grading and gradational upper contact are reliable criteria to interpret these layers as turbidites without hemipelagic
intervals. Around 0.42 m and 6.55 m the upper dark border indicates the beginning of the following sequence (t). (c) Succession of ungraded or complexly graded muddy turbidites
(t). Lowstand deposit markers originating from the shelf outer edge are plotted on the basis of 10-g fraction.
 P. Giresse et al. / Sedimentary Geology 294 (2013) 266281
The sand content distribution indicates the presence of 20 normally-
graded layers containing 40 to 70% ne quartz sand (Fig. 6). Medium
and coarse sands are always practically absent but vegetal bres and
charcoal grains are ubiquitous throughout the section.
Carbonates represent on average 25 wt.% of the sediment and
exceed 30 wt.% in the deposits between 5 and 2 m core depth. They
slightly decline in the uppermost 2 m. In the same way, several
littoral foraminifers and pteropods tend to become rare in the upper
part of the section.
4.3. Sediment facies in areas dominated by gravity ows
4.3.1. Settings
Core KMDJ39 site is the deepest (at 2769 m water depth) and the
farthest from the coast. It is situated downslope of several important
submarine valleys perpendicular to the coastline (Kherroubi et al.,
2009) that drain the inputs of the Seybouse Oued (Fig. 3).
Core KMDJ37 is an 8.70 m-long sediment core was sampled in a
water depth of 2752 m, a value comparable to that of core KMDJ39,
but at a shorter distance from the foot of the slope.
Core KMDJ34 is an 8.68 m-long sediment core was taken in
2220 m water depth; it is situated approximately 5 km from the
foot of the slope and in line with the main NS submarine valley of
the Bejaia margin (Fig. 2). This site is also located near the mouth of
the Soummam Oued.
Core KMDJ36 is an 8.58 m-long sediment core situated ca. 15 km
downdip of core KMDJ34, which is approximately the distance to the
foot of the slope (Fig. 2). It was obtained at 2468 m water depth, from a
slightly raised zone of the basin, which is presumed to act as an interuve.
Core KMDJ35 is an 8.58 m-long sediment core taken at 2606 m
water depth in a depression just below the slope. Although at a short
distance from this slope, this site is also the deepest of those studied
in the sector of Bejaia.
4.3.2. Coarse-grained turbidites
The two sediment cores KMDJ37 and 39 consist of a grey-brown
mud within which are coarse-grained layers several centimetres in
Fig. 9. Core KMDJ37. Grain-size log and core photograph of 78 m core depths. (a) Two coarse-grained turbidites (T) show a normal graded-bedding, other ne-grained sequences
(t) show an upward gradation dark terrigenous muds to grey-beige muds. The h interval is considered as hemipelagic. Lowstand deposit markers originating from the shelf outer
edge are plotted on the basis of 10-g fraction observation.
273
thickness (up to 40 cm) (Figs. 8, 9). The presence of sharp basal ero-
sional contacts, normal size grading, and gradational upper contacts
are reliable criteria to interpret these layers as turbidites. Many but
not all turbidite beds consist of two distinctly coloured units: a
lower deep grey brown unit rich in organic matter and an upper
grey unit becoming paler upwards. The sandy division of turbidites
does not exceed 10 cm in thickness (Fig. 8a, b) and the ne sand con-
tent can reach or exceed 50% and is often indicated by the abundance
of degraded plant fragments and shelly coastal debris. Commonly, a
double peak of carbonate and sand indicates the beginning of the se-
quence (Figs. 8, 9). In various intervals, especially through the rst
bottom metre, recurrent microturbidites (b 1 cm thickness) are ob-
served, these muddy layers show the same colour gradation as that
of the coarse-grained ones (Fig. 8c). The sandiest turbidites are
found around 7.90 m, 5.0 m, 3.90 m and 0.60 m of core KMDJ37
and in the lower half (7.80, 7.60, 4.95 and 3.80 m) of core KMDJ39.
4.3.3. Fine-grained turbidites
KMDJ34 and KMDJ36 sediments are a grey-beige mud where tur-
bidites appear over the whole section in the form of darker microbeds
that are richer in organic matter and associated iron monosulphides.
They appear over the whole section even if they are more abundant
in the lowermost 2 m of KMDJ36. These microturbidites range in
thickness from 1 to 3 mm; their ne sand content does not exceed
20 to 25%, and are probably characteristic of distal facies on the side
of submarine valleys (Figs. 10, 11). These microbeds may be equiva-
lent to the Tc, Td, and in some cases Te divisions of Bouma or E divi-
sion from Piper (1978), sometimes with graded laminated basal
layers (E1 and E2 divisions). These thin regular laminations corre-
spond to the T3 division of ne-grained turbidites according to Stow
and Shanmugan (1980).
4.3.4. Debris-ows
The KMDJ35 sediment core shows a disorganised accumulation of
oval, circular or angular mudstone clasts through the lowest two-
thirds of the core section (Fig. 12). Between 7.68 m and 6.10 m, large
clasts of compacted mud several tens of centimetres thick are observed;
274 P. Giresse et al. / Sedimentary Geology 294 (2013) 266281

Fig. 10. Core KMDJ34. Grain-size log and core photographs of some distinctive sedimentary intervals. (a) After 2000 yr BP, thin-bedded turbidites (t) in the form of dark microbeds
are characteristic of distal facies of the sides of the valleys (possibly equivalent of Tc, Td of Bouma sequences); (b) Slow accumulation through the Early Holocene, without sandy
deposition, these dark laminae could be considered as basal layers of microturbidite or as the result of bottom-current reworking. Lowstand deposit markers originating from the
shelf outer edge are plotted on the basis of 10-g fraction.

their grey-blue to dark blue colour contrasts with a 10% uid beige plastic deformations meet the denition of the rotational character of
grey muddy hemipelagic matrix which generally accompanies it. the movements (Dingle, 1977; Shanmugan, 1996). Then, nearly 1 m
These clasts were contorted, wrinkled and armoured with thick tests of a normal accumulation of muds and microturbidites, although
of coastal molluscs and grains of quartz or sandstone. These internal still including some oating dark bluish clasts, is observed. Above,

Fig. 11. Core KMDJ36. Dark thin-bedded turbidites (t) are recurrent in the lowermost 2 m (b); these microbeds appear seldom above 6 m (a) where they can express very distal
turbiditic currents or the action of bottom-currents (e.g., core KMDJ34). Possible coastal lowstand deposit markers originating from the outer edge are plotted on a 10-g fraction
reference.
 P. Giresse et al. / Sedimentary Geology 294 (2013) 266281 275

Fig. 12. Core KMDJ35. Grain-size log and core photographs of disorganised accumulation of grey mudstone clasts through the lowest parts of the core section. Chaotically arranged
mud clasts are indicated with yellow arrows and contorted blocks are outlined with white lines. In (a) one clast includes a coastal gastropod; in (b) a sandstone clast is oating in
the mud matrix. Lowstand deposit markers originating from the shelf outer edge are plotted on the basis of 10-g fraction.

over about 2 m in thickness, the accumulation of cohesive equant
boulders (some tens of centimetres diameter) and clastic debrites
(some centimetres thick) still occurs. All these blue and compacted
mudstones are similar to the facies encountered in relict sedimentary
cover of the shelf outer edge and belonging to MIS 3 (Leclaire, 1972).
The same facies has only once been described at the foot of the slope of
the Algiers margin in core KMDJ01 (Giresse et al., 2009).
5. Carbonates, microfossils and lithogenic tracers
In the coarse-grained turbidite sections (cores KMDJ39 and 37),
carbonate contents range from 20 to 35%; in the lower half of KMDJ37,
contents are between 25 and 35%, upwards they oscillate between 15
and 25% (Figs. 8, 9). The beginning of each turbidite sequence is marked
by peaks from 60 to 70% of carbonate, which illustrates the abundance of
relict fragments of littoral shells dropped from the outer edge. These shell
fragments are mainly associated with the shallow-water benthic forami-
nifera E. crispum and sometimes A. beccarii and Q. seminulum (the latter
being very corroded), which are other markers of the coastal environ-
ments of the last LST (Leclaire, 1972). These markers are found only in
two turbidites in the lower part of KMDJ39, and rocky fragments are
especially observed in these same deposits between 6 and 10 m depth.
We also note, especially in the lower half of KMDJ37, the presence of
glauconite grains derived from the shelf. All these markers of erosion of
the shelf edge are rare or absent in turbidites deposited in the upper
part of the section.
In the ne-grained turbidite section (cores KMDJ34 and 36), the
carbonate content is more uniform between 20 and 25 wt.%, with
values slightly lower than those of the near Soummam prodelta; but
they decrease a little in the uppermost few metres (Figs. 10, 11).
This distribution again correlates with shell debris, the concentration
of which controls carbonate accumulation. In core KMDJ34, gravity
transport is underlined by the irregular presence of fragments of
rock outcropping on the shelf outer edge or by shell debris of coastal
molluscs. However, markers of the reworking of relict sediments cover of
the outer edge (A. beccarii, E. crispum) are absent, suggesting that these
deposits remained covered by muds of the Soummam Oued (Leclaire,
1972). In core KMDJ36, the origin of gravity mechanisms from the
outer edge of the shelf is identied in deeper deposits by the presence
of the benthic foraminifera Q. seminulum as well as by a greater abun-
dance of shell debris and degraded plant fragments. All these markers
become rare or even disappear in the upper part of the section.
The disorder of the debris-ow accumulation is veried by the
irregularity of distribution of sediment components, in particular the
carbonate and coarse quartz contents (Fig. 12).
Tracers of coastal relict deposits of the shelf edge (A. beccarii and
Q. seminulum) frequently underlie the turbiditic episodes, but are
more scarce or absent in the dark blue clasts. Oceanic production,
indicated by otoliths, decreases in the upper half of the section
(cores KMDJ39, KMDJ37, KMDJ34, KMDJ35).
6. Age control and accumulation rates
One 14C date at the bottom of sediment core KMDJ38 indicates an
age beyond 50,000 yr BP. The top of this core is about 766 cal yr BP.
Three other 14C dates (Table 1) allow the estimation of sedimentation
rates of the last 6 m, which is of the order of 150 mm/kyr. Such slow
and regular sedimentation constitutes an excellent record for high-
resolution oxygen isotope measurements as illustrated in Figs. 6
and 13. The oxygen isotope record closely matches millennial-scale
DansgaardOeschger (DO) events 114 and Heinrich events H1H5,
the position of the Younger Dryas, and the short 8.2 ka cold event.
The 8.2 ka cold event was previously evidenced in the eastern and
western Mediterranean where boreal summer solar radiation gradually
declined (von Grafenstein et al., 1998; Weninger et al., 2006; Davis
and Stevenson, 2007). The recognition of time positions of most
276 P. Giresse et al. / Sedimentary Geology 294 (2013) 266281
Fig. 13. Sedimentation rates of KMDJ38 sediment core (bold solid green line) deduced from calendar 14C ages (red squares), DansgaardOeschger (black circles) and Heinrich
events (blue arrows). The accumulation rate curve closely matches the linear regression line; the convex parts of the curves indicate acceleration intervals attributed to higher
bioclastic carbonate accumulation.
interstadials allows for a detailed estimate of the successive sedimenta-
tion rates along this core (Figs. 6, 13). The sedimentation rates between
50,000 and 42,000 yr BP (DO 1114) are moderate (125180 mm/kyr);
they increase later (350550 mm/kyr) and then they decrease apprecia-
bly between DO 9 and 6 (125183 mm/kyr) before reaching a maximum
(550 mm/kyr) just after DO 6. The interval between DO 5 and 1 corre-
sponds to the irregular cooling which characterises MIS 2 where the accu-
mulation rates are relatively low (100200 mm/kyr). After the Younger
Dryas, the warming coincides with acceleration in sedimentation rate
(275400 mm/kyr). Finally, the rst rather warm part of the wet
Holocene shows a 200 mm/kyr rate that falls to 83 mm/kyr during the
dryer second part. The general curve of the sediment accumulation rate
passes through several plateaus and rate accelerations that can reach a
factor of 5, in spite of the obvious absence of gravity-driven sediment
transport. The carbonate content minima correspond to the plateaus in
the curve of accumulation rate. With few exceptions, especially during
MIS 3, warmer waters appear more favourable to faster accumulation.
With the aim to better evaluate the sediment input from the shelf
edge, a ratio between allochthonous and autochthonous species of
ostracods was calculated testifying that the occurrence of gravity mech-
anisms seems to take place during lowstands, especially between 40,000
and 20,000 cal yr BP. The ostracods are thought to be useful markers
because the valves are lighter than tests of bigger benthic foraminifers,
and thus more easily reworked and transported in suspension. Within
the reworked fauna (thanatocoenoses), we have included the littoral
and peri-littoral species having a bathymetric distribution not exceeding
200 m water depth. The curve of the thanatocoenosis components
anti-correlates the 18O plot, and the general trend illustrates several
signicant peaks of allochthonous valves (N 30%) in correspondence
with H5, before and during H4, and during H1 (Fig. 6). Minima are
recorded during DO interstadials with peaks ranging from 5 to 20%
during DO stadials. Almost no reworked fauna are found in the upper-
most 50 cm corresponding to the mid/late Holocene.
Concerning core KMDJ33, two dates were obtained and indicate
3294 cal yr BP at the base of the section and 2215 cal yr BP at about
3 m depth (Fig. 7). Accordingly we calculate a high sediment accumula-
tion rate of 5361 mm/kyr before 2215 cal yr BP, then becoming much
more moderate after this date at 1311 mm/kyr, the average rate for
this core taken as a whole being in the order of 2180 mm/kyr. It is a
relatively fast accumulation, which is around three times the rate
recorded in the prodelta off the Oued Cheliff, on the western margin
of Algeria (Domzig et al., 2009). This high rate can be explained by the
high present-day solid discharge of Oued Soummam, which is four to
ve times higher than those of Oued Cheliff (Leclaire, 1972). This
accumulation is controlled by the steepness of the catchment hillsides.
These ages allow the calculation of an average frequency of 1 per
150 years for the oods of Soummam Oued. The periodicity of the
oods decreases from 150 years to 250 years after 2000 cal yr BP.
Therefore, this periodicity always represents a shorter time span than
the periodicity of turbidites on the underlying slope.
The sedimentary history of KMDJ39 begins at 28,697 cal yr BP, pro-
viding successive records of LST, TST, and HST. On the basis of three 14C
dates (Table 1), we calculate a moderate sediment accumulation rate of
285 mm/kyr between 28,697 and 9946 cal yr BP (LST and TST). This
rate increases to 349 mm/kyr between 9946 and 5320 cal yr BP, and
then rises to 659 mm/kyr after 5320 cal yr BP where one of the most
consequent gravity deposits is identied. The global sedimentation
rate is 306 mm/kyr.
The beginning of the sedimentary record of KMDJ37 goes back to
19,064 cal yr BP. Three 14C dates allow the calculation of successive
accumulation rates of 539 mm/kyr between 19,064 and 9936 cal yr BP,
of 478 mm/kyr between 9936 and 3516 cal yr BP, and of 535 mm/kyr
after 3516 cal yr BP; the rate for the sedimentary column taken as
a whole reaches 3.3 mg cm2 y1. According to the high recurrence
of turbidites, we observe that the rhythm of accumulation is uniform
and appears unaffected by sea-level change.
 P. Giresse et al. / Sedimentary Geology 294 (2013) 266281 277

Fig. 14. Successive sedimentation rates in cores KMDJ 34, 36, 35, 38, 37 and 39 expressed in mm/kyr calculated on the basis of calibrated 14C ages (upper part). In KMDJ35, debris
ow thickness was not taken into account; sediment accumulation rates after excluding the turbidite beds are indicated in red. The average time between two successive turbidites
(average periodicity) was calculated during the same 14C intervals (lower part).

In spite of the distance of about 10 km that separates the sites of cores
KMDJ39 and KMDJ37, we observe a comparable chronology of the major
gravity events in both core sections: around 17,000 cal yr BP, around
11,000 cal yr BP, a little after 10,000 cal yr BP, and after 1000 cal yr BP
(Fig. 15).
The base of core KMDJ34 core was dated to 9218 cal yr BP,
which allow us to calculate an overall sediment accumulation rate
of 1050 mm/kyr, which is the highest rate measured over the whole
Algerian margin. Four 14C ages allow the calculation of a relatively
slow accumulation rate (470 mm/kyr) in the lowermost 2 m of the
deposit (from 9218 to 2216 cal yr BP), followed by a marked acceler-
ation (2430, 5060, 16.6, 128, then 1740 mm/kyr) in the upper 6 m
(i.e. the last two millennia) (Fig. 13). We thus note a chronological
succession of the sedimentation rates, which is roughly different
from that of the above-mentioned prodelta (KMDJ33). These upper
6 m coincide with the marked recurrence of the microturbidites
(19 microsequences are counted throughout the 6 m).
The sedimentary history of KMDJ36 begins at 19,143 cal yr BP. It
allows for a comparison of the deposits of the TST phase with that
of the HST phase. From this date, we estimate an overall sediment
accumulation rate of 544 mm/kyr, which is about half the rate of
core KMDJ34, which is closer to the slope. It results into a longer
periodicity of turbidites, i.e. nearly ten times longer than that of
core KMDJ34 (1/1450 years). Three 14C ages allow us to estimate an
moderate accumulation rate (430 mm/kyr) during the TST, followed
by a moderate acceleration during the HST (690 mm/kyr) between
5769 and 2189 cal yr BP, and 905 mm/kyr after 2189 cal yr BP.
The dating of the base of the KMDJ35 core indicates 5459 cal yr BP
whereas the top of the debrites are 5014 cal yr BP, suggesting a relatively
precise age for this major gravity event. The ages of 8601 cal yr BP at
5.5 m and 6456 cal yr BP at 3.80 m are apparent ages, which correspond
to mixtures of hemipelagic Holocene materials and allochthonous relict
materials from the shelf edge brought in by debris ows. Consequently,
the only correct measure of accumulation rate concerns the uppermost
2.84 m for which we obtain a value of 605 mm/kyr, which is, in spite of
the recurrent occurrences of turbidites, comparable to that measured in
the nearby core KMDJ36.
7. Discussion
7.1. Climatic or oceanic changes as controlling factors on sediment uxes
This question will be handled from studies of a site isolated for
at least 50,000 years from the major axis of sediment deposition
(KMDJ38) and a site of prodeltaic deposition (KMDJ33).
7.1.1. Interuve site (KMDJ38)
The sedimentation rate appears to be the slowest of all the rates
from the Algerian margin (cruises MARADJA 1 and 2 included). On
the scale of the last major eustatic changes, the glacialinterglacial
278 P. Giresse et al. / Sedimentary Geology 294 (2013) 266281
Fig. 15. Grain-size correlations for KMDJ39 and KMDJ37 core sections. Note the nearly
similar turbidite sequences for the two cores (see Fig. 2 for location of sections).
18O amplitude in the KMDJ38 record is 4, largely than the 1.3
(Fairbanks, 1989) and 1 (Schrag et al., 1996) glacialinterglacial
ice volume signal. This suggests that at least 3 of this long-term sig-
nal is attributed to temperature (or salinity) changes within the
semi-enclosed Mediterranean Sea. Here we can observe an apparent
decrease of productivity with 20% of carbonate roughly connected
to the 18O% maxima (Fig. 6). Carbonate-rich units reect interglacial
conditions as in several other Mediterranean basins (Weaver et al.,
1986; Van Os et al., 1994; Weldeab et al., 2003; Incarbona et al.,
2008) and large variations in productivity could in turn generate
large changes in sedimentation rates (Herbert, 1997; Lourens and
Hilgen, 1997).
At the Holocene scale, several other core sections of the lower slope
show a parallel evolution with a carbonate decrease during the HST
(KMDJ39, KMDJ35) or later than 3000 cal yr BP (KMDJ37, KMDJ34,
KMDJ36), suggesting a relative decline of oceanic productivity. In the
same way, otoliths and/or pteropods tend to become rarer over time.
7.1.2. Soummam prodelta (KMDJ33)
The prodelta record is restricted to the second part of the HST
that spans approximately the last 3500 years. The sandy maxima
correspond to many major oods of the Soummam Oued. Schematically,
carbonate content decreases in the uppermost 2 m; benthic foraminifers
and pteropods depict the same trend. Similarly, we notice that at the
same time the sediment uxes decrease by a factor of 5. The interuve
site (KMDJ38) shows a more moderate decrease after 7883 cal yr BP.
This Holocene climatic evolution can be compared with that of
several previous studies in North Africa. For example, in the western
Mediterranean, Ramrath et al. (2010) depict the mid-Holocene hydro-
climatic switch as a climatic deterioration with cooler and drier condi-
tions and widespread aeolian mobilisation in the Sahara (Swezey,
2001; Brooks, 2006; Wendorf et al., 2007).
We thus notice certain parallels between these oceanic and conti-
nental records, but no change seems dramatic enough to cause changes
in ood discharge and deep oceanic sedimentation.
7.2. Sea level changes as controlling factors of sediment uxes and triggering
factors of turbidites
The signicant number (25) of 14C datings obtained in this study
allows for a comparison of sediment accumulation rate with frequency
of turbidites in the Annaba and Bejaia areas.
7.2.1. Annaba area
The mid-slope site (KMDJ38), isolated from the main sites of
sediment deposition, presents sedimentation rates that are about a
third of those commonly observed at the foot slope. The very modest
and rare signs of turbidite deposition show a period which has no impact
on sedimentation rates.
On the other hand, two other sites, about 10 km apart, are located
on the route of channel gravity transport (KMDJ37, KMDJ39). Both show
marked coarse-grained turbidites (with more than 50% of sand and
coarse sands at the beginning of the sequence), which are consistent
with seismic data showing a wide ripple eld that has been mapped
downstream (Gaullier et al., 2006; Kherroubi et al., 2009). The periodicity
of turbidites is very similar between these cores during the three last
three eustatic phases (Fig. 14), and in both cores there is evidence for
increased sedimentation rate at the end of the HST phase.
During LST and TST phases, the reworking of the coastal relict
deposit on the outer shelf (E. crispum, A. beccarii and the glauconite
grains in the case of KMDJ37, Q. seminulum and rock debris in that
of KMDJ39) allows the identication the origin of the turbidites.
During HST phases (after 8000 or 9000 cal yr BP) the markers of
the littoral relict deposits are rare or absent, giving evidence either
for a deeper initiation of the turbidites, near the heads of canyons
or, more probably, the burial of these relict deposits under prodeltaic
Holocene muds.
Closer to the slope, sediment uxes at the KMDJ37 site are higher
than at the KMDJ39 site (Fig. 14). These two sites show an active and reg-
ular accumulation, which does not seem directly inuenced by sea level.
Turbidites that are more frequent is shorter (more repetitive) during LST
and the start of TST phases (1/248 years) than in TST (1/508 years) and
HST (1/365 years) phases, suggesting greater slope instability at this
time. In core KMDJ39, sedimentation rates increase gradually from
the LST to the HST. Over a longer time scale, this section shows a TST
characterised by moderate uxes and less frequent turbidites. During
the last 5000 years of the HST, there is once more an increased sedimen-
tation rate and more frequent turbidites.
7.2.2. Bejaia area
The two foot slope sites are both sheltered from the coarse accumu-
lations of proximal turbidites. Core KMDJ34, closer to the slope, shows
uxes around double that of KMDJ36. These core sections show similar
sedimentation rates changes during the HST (increase by 5 to 10 times
in KMJDJ34, doubled in KMDJ36) and the coeval shortening of turbidite
periodicity (34 times as frequent in KMDJ34, 47 times as frequent in
KMDJ36) (Fig. 14).
 P. Giresse et al. / Sedimentary Geology 294 (2013) 266281 279

Closer to the slope (KMDJ34), after 2216 cal yr BP, a gravity event
every 350 to 400 years changes to every ~30 years, as a consequence
an increased accumulation rate is recorded between 2216 and
1009 cal yr BP. These changes occur while the high sea level remained
stable and the terrigenous uxes of the Soummam Oued tended to de-
crease at the same time as the frequency of its oods.
Farther from the slope, the low frequency of turbidites (more than
700 years) between 19,000 and 6000 cal yr BP increased by 50%
during the HST (Core KMDJ36). This evolution has a direct impact
on the acceleration of sedimentation rate after 5769 cal yr BP and
especially after 2189 cal yr BP (Fig. 13). If we take into account its
longer time scale, this evolution is similar to the regional picture and
provides another example of accumulation which does not seem driven
by the sea level.
In the absence of any other alternative explanation (eustatic factor
or terrestrial change in river output), we are led to envisage a gravity
instability enhanced by a local intensication of seismic activity from
2200 to ~ 500 cal yr BP.
Approximately 20 km to the west of the KMDJ3436 transect, and
very close to the footslope, the accumulation over at least 5 m of debrites
and convoluted layers (KMDJ35) around 5500 cal yr BP was probably
caused by a regional seismic event. In the uppermost 3 m of the core,
i.e. during approximately the last 2000 years, the rate of turbidite events
and sedimentation rates are roughly the same as those recorded for the
same period in Core KMDJ36, and imply the same causes for the same
effects.
7.3. Comparison of sedimentation patterns on the eastern and western
margin of Algeria
To give a larger statistical basis to the study of the sedimentary
processes, we consider all sediment core records of this eastern margin
with those previously obtained on the western margin (Giresse et al.,
2009), in total about 15 sediment cores (Fig. 16).
By discarding only two examples of submarine avalanches with
accumulation of debrites or slumps (one in each margin), we can
infer comparable sedimentation rates over the last 16,000 yr BP rang-
ing mainly between 50 and 100 mm/kyr below the Algerian slope.
A comparison between the two margins also shows that turbidites
frequency is approximately equivalent on both margins: between 299
and 646 years on the western margin and 137 and 534 years on the
eastern margin.
1. On the western Algerian margin, we distinguish the conditions of
sedimentation near the footslope from those in the deeper basin.
All the records at the footslope indicate decreasing frequency of turbi-
dite beds from the TST to the HST. In the same way, off-shelf sediment
uxes were lower during the current HST (last ca. 6000 years), by
around half. However, in the two deeper cores (KMDJ04, KMDJ07),
turbidite sequences are more complete than at the footslope, the
greater thickness of each sequence being probably linked to better
preservation. The turbidite beds are observed continuously through
the entire core, suggesting that turbidite events are independent of

Fig. 16. Synthetic diagram of sections studied on the western (Giresse et al., 2009) and eastern (this study) margins of Algeria. Only the logs that show recurrent gravity processes
are reproduced. HST: Highstand System Tract (grey), TST: Transgressive System Tract (white), LST: Lowstand System Tract (yellow).
280 P. Giresse et al. / Sedimentary Geology 294 (2013) 266281
sea level position. Consequently, these two deeper sites would reect
more seismicity of the margin whereas deposition at the foot slope is
more probably controlled by eustatic trend, due to the short distance
separating the high-energy shoreline from the shelf break. At the top
of the slope and on the shelf edge, gravity processes can be induced by
littoral disturbance during the LST (KMDJ37). This relationship de-
clines during stable and prolonged HST phases, increased turbidite
frequencies between 2200 and 1000 cal yr BP can be linked to seis-
mic activity (KMDJ34KMDJ36). We favour this explanation because
such an increase in turbidite events is localised in this eastern part
of the Algerian margin, and more particularly off Bejaia, and because
in the record of the oods in the prodelta of Soummam Oued, neither
the coarse nature of the deposits nor the timing corresponds to those
of the turbidites.
2. In the eastern Algerian margin, accumulation at deeper sites does
not seem primarily driven by eustatic sea level. Especially in the
area off Bejaia, the sediment rate calculations indicate an increase
during the HST, more precisely between ca. 2200 and 1000 BP.
This short-term increase is tentatively assigned to a seismically
induced signal that was not recorded in the western part. Cores
KMDJ37 and KMDJ39 are different because turbidites are distributed
over almost the whole vertical section, but their emplacement
frequency is lower in phases of LST and the beginning of TST than
in phases of TST and HST. This therefore suggests a periodicity
(over the highstand period) that agrees with periodicities of turbi-
dites found in the deep Algerian basin. On the other hand, we can
envisage that a seismicity control could have affected deeper and
more remote locations if we take into account the observations
of cable breakages consequent to the 2003 Mw 6.8 Boumerds
earthquake (Ayadi et al., 2003), and the 1954 Ms 6.7 Orlansville
earthquake (Heezen and Ewing, 1955). But on this Algerian margin,
these extreme consequences seem to intervene only after a rather
long way of the gravity-induced transport by which the strength of
erosion can increase with the travelled distance.
From the slow strain rates and distributed deformation over the
TellAtlas belt, it can be argued that the seismic cycle on a given active
fault is probably long. The longer time series available for a fault segment
close to the shoreline is the El Asnam fault, which ruptured a N100 km
long fault in 1980. It has been shown that signicant co-seismic displace-
ments have occurred on this fault over the last 7000 years, with return
periods of 350500 years (cluster periods) and also longer, quiet
periods of ca. 10001700 years (Meghraoui et al., 1988). Recently, a
reappraisal of earthquake catalogues in northern Algeria (Hamdache et
al., 2010; Harbi et al., 2010) has been performed. Although the complete-
ness of the seismicity catalogue over the last 1000 years is questionable
(Harbi et al., 2011), we are aware that almost 20 Mw N 6.5 earthquakes
have shaken the Algerian margin since A.D. 856, i.e. over ca. 1200 years,
most of them being located though central Algeria (14E), whereas
only two earthquakes of signicant magnitude occurred in the western
and eastern margins. This observation supports the view that margin
shaking by earthquakes does not occurring continuously in space
and time, and suggests that for a given area (segment) of the margin,
typical time spans between successive earthquakes are of the order of
500 years, i.e. very similar to the periodicities of turbidites found in the
deeper domains in Algerian margins over the last highstand.
8. Conclusions
The active accumulation in the pro-delta of Oued Soummam allows
us to study the deposit of the last 3000 years. The high sedimentation
rate before 2215 cal yr BP decreased later by a factor of 5. This evolu-
tion is directly connected to the recurrence of the oods, which are
less frequent after 2215 cal yr BP because of a drier trend of the climate.
As these prodeltaic deposits do not reach the outer border of the shelf,
their inuence on the slope deposits is unlikely. Moreover, the period
of the oods is shorter than that of the turbidites at the foot of the
neighbouring slope. At the same time, during the last two millennia,
there is a decline of the oceanic productivity in slightly colder waters.
At the middle-slope to the NE of Annaba (KMDJ38), the sedimenta-
tion is almost totally shielded from gravity ows; the accumulation
rate reaches only a third of that recorded on the nearby foot of the
slope. The detailed chronology of DO events indicates a succession of
decelerations and accelerations in sedimentation rate. The accelerations
coincided with warmer waters leading to a surplus of biogenic carbon-
ate. Higher accumulation rates are noted after 12,000 cal yr BP, but
after 5000 cal yr BP, a slowing down occurred and integrated the
decrease of the continental uxes observed after 2215 cal yr BP in the
pro-delta of Soummam Oued.
Along the same canyon alignment to the north of Bejaia, sediment
cores KMDJ34 and KMDJ36 are both characterised by one rather fast
accumulation where thin-bedded turbidites succeeded one another.
In KMDJ 34, the sedimentation rate shows a spectacular acceleration
( 5 10) between 2216 and 1009 cal yr BP while the periodicity
of turbidites was shortened from 350400 years to approximately
30 years. KMDJ36 indicates too an increase of the rate during the
HST with a maximum during the last 2000 years. We proposed an
episode of strong instability of this slope of Bejaia connected to a
clustered-type period of seismic activity, which lasted more than
1000 years.
At the bottom of the slope to the NE of Annaba, both sediment
cores KMDJ37 and KMDJ39 are characterised by the interstratications
of the coarse-grained and thick-bedded turbidites. In KMDJ37, the
rather higher accumulation rate during the LST decreased during the
TST according to alternately higher and lower frequencies of turbidites.
As main basin-wide turbidites can be identied through KMDJ37
KMDJ39 correlation, this areal distribution indicates that these gravity
ows were probably seismically generated and became intensied
during the last thousand years.
Acknowledgements
This project has received support from the following programmes:
GDR Marges Instabilits, ACI (Action Concerte Incitative) Algrie
20032006, the FrenchAlgerian Cooperation Project CMEP-Tassili
20042007 No. 041MDU619, and ANR (Agence Nationale de la
Recherche) projects ISIS and DANACOR. We wish to thank the crew
of the R.V. Suroit during the MARADJA 2005 cruise, IFREMER Brest
Centre technicians for assistance in the core opening operations and
Gary Fowler for linguistic improvements.
We thank T.M. Alves, M. Thomas, three other reviewers, and Editor
J. Knight for their constructive comments and especially for editorial
assistance.
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