CEE 598, GEOL 593

TURBIDITY CURRENTS: MORPHODYNAMICS AND DEPOSITS

LECTURE 2
WHAT IS A CONTINENTAL MARGIN?

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EVERY CONTINENT IS SURROUNDED BY A MARGIN

The margin consists of a shelf (out

to ~ 100 m), slope, and rise (which
tapers off into deep water).

continental plain
(subaerial) shoreline

shelf

slope

rise

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 THE POSITION OF THE SHORELINE VARIES WITH SEA
LEVEL

Interglacial high stand

Glacial low stand

http://www.teachingboxes.org/seaLevel/lessons/lesson4_SeaLevelCurveGraph.htm 3
 DURING THE LAST GLACIAL
MAXIMUM, THE SHORELINE
MOVED OUTWARD TOWARD THE
SHELF-SLOPE BREAK

Shoreline at low stand (lowest sea4

NASA World Wind level elevation during glaciation)
SO SEA LEVEL FLUCTUATIONS STRONGLY AFFECT
CONTINENTAL MARGINS

continental plain
(subaerial)

shelf

slope

rise

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CONTINENTAL MARGINS COME IN TWO BASIC FLAVORS
DEPENDING ON THE TECTONIC SETTING:
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE MARGINS
Passive margins tend to be broad, with extensive shelves.
Active margins tend to be narrow, with constricted shelves.

http://sio.ucsd.edu/png/science/
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 CONTINENTAL PLATE TECTONICS

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http://www.geoware-online.com/GeowareMercatorMap.jpg
 MANTLE CIRCULATION DRIVES PLATE TECTONICS

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http://www.eoearth.org/media/draft/b/b5/Cross_section_of_the_earth,_tectonic_plates.gif
 SPREADING
MARGIN: ATLANTIC
OCEAN

http://www.geoware-
online.com/Geoware
CentralNAtlanticMap. 9
jpg
 PERU-CHILE
MARGIN

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http://web1.hrhost.net/~huttonco/Other/Latinia/SAm_P&A750.jpg
 PERU-CHILE MARGIN

http://astro.wsu.edu/worthey/earth/html/im-geology/peru-chile-
trench.gif

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http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/jmeert/sam.jpg
CONTINENTAL MARGINS AROUND THE UNITED STATES

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Pratson and Haxby, 1997
 CONTINENTAL SLOPE OFF NEW JERSEY
Dissected passive siliciclastic margin.

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CONTINENTAL SLOPE OFF GULF COAST FLORIDA
Carbonate margin: life is the sediment factory.

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CONTINENTAL SLOPE, NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO
Here the continental slope is governed by salt tectonics.

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CONTINENTAL SLOPE OFF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
This is a characteristic active margin.

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 CONTINENTAL SLOPE OFF OREGON
Active margin with complicated tectonics.

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EACH MARGIN HAS ITS OWN SPECIFIC HISTORY AND
ORIGIN
EXAMPLE: SALT TECTONICS!

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THE NORTHERN CONTINENTAL SLOPE OF THE GULF OF
MEXICO IS RIDDLED WITH DIAPIRIC MINIBASINS

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HOW WAS THIS BASIN-AND-RIDGE TOPOGRAPHY
CREATED?

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UNDERNEATH A LAYER OF SEDIMENT ~ 10 KM THICK IS A
LAYER OF SALT ~ 1 KM THICK
Salt tectonism:
Salt is a Newtonian fluid with a very high viscosity!
Overlying sediment (mud) ~ a Bingham fluid!
Salt is lighter than mud!

Salt flows up, sediment flows down.

Result: minibasins on surface.

Minibasins
SEAFLOOR

SEDIMENT LAYER

SALT LAYER 21
TURBIDITY CURRENTS HELP TO BOTH BUILD AND
DISSECT CONTINENTAL MARGINS

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REFERENCE

Pratson, L.F. & Haxby, W.F. ( 1997) Panoramas of the seafloor. Scientific American,
276(6), 82-87.

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