Evaluation of conditions along the grounding line of temperate marine glaciers: an example from Muir Inlet, Glacier Bay, Alaska

In the marine environment, stability of the glacier terminus and the location of subglacial streams are the dominant controls on the distribution of grounding-line deposits within morainal banks. A morainal bank complex in Muir Inlet, Glacier Bay, SE Alaska, is used to develop a model of terminus stability and location of subglacial streams along the grounding line of temperate marine glaciers. This model can be used to interpret former grounding-line conditions in other glacimarine settings from the facies architecture within morainal bank deposits.The Muir Inlet morainal bank complex was deposited between 1860 A.D. and 1899 A.D., and historical observations provide a record of terminus positions, glacial retreat rates and sedimentary sources. These data are used to reconstruct the depositional environment and to develop a correlation between sedimentary facies and conditions along the grounding line.Four seismic facies identified on the high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles are used to interpret sedimentary facies within the morainal bank complex. Terminus stability is interpreted from the distribution of sedimentary facies within three distinct submarine geomorphic features, a grounding-line fan, stratified ridges, and a field of push ridges. The grounding-line fan was deposited along a stable terminus and is represented on seismic-reflection profiles by two distinct seismic facies, a proximal and a distal fan facies. The proximal fan facies was deposited at the efflux of subglacial streams and indicates the location of former glacifluvial discharges into the sea. Stratified ridges formed as a result of the influence of a quasi-stable terminus on the distribution of sedimentary facies along the grounding line. A field of push ridges formed along the grounding line of an unstable terminus that completely reworked the grounding-line deposits through glacitectonic deformation.Between 1860 A.D. and 1899 A.D. (39 years),

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m³ of sediment were deposited within the Muir Inlet morainal bank complex at an average annual sediment accumulation rate of

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m³/a. This rate represents the annual sediment production capacity of the glacier when the Muir Inlet drainage basin is filled with glacial ice.     

Columbia Bay, Alaska: an ‘upside down’ estuary

Circulation and water properties within Columbia Bay, Alaska, are dominated by the effects of Columbia Glacier at the head of the Bay. The basin between the glacier terminus and the terminal moraine (sill depth of about 22 m) responds as an ‘upside down’ estuary with the subglacial discharge of freshwater entering at the bottom of the basin. The intense vertical mixing caused by the bouyant plume of freshwater creates a homogeneous water mass that exchanges with the far-field water through either a two- or a three-layer flow. In general, the glacier acts as a large heat sink and creates a water mass which is cooler than that in fjords without tidewater glaciers. The predicted retreat of Columbia Glacier would create a 40 km long fjord that has characteristics in common with other fjords in Prince William Sound.     

Late quaternary seismic stratigraphy and active faults of the Gulf of İzmit (NE Marmara Sea)

The Upper Quaternary seismic stratigraphy and active faults of the Gulf of İzmit were investigated by means of high-resolution shallow seismic profiling data in the source region of 1999 İzmit earthquake. High-resolution seismic reflection data correlated with borehole data indicate that the stratigraphy of İzmit Bay consists of three distinct depositional sequences formed in response to middle Pleistocene-Holocene sea-level changes. Reflector R, separating the pre-Holocene sequences (1 and 2) from the Holocene sequence (3), represents an erosional unconformity produced by the subaerial fluvial erosion of the continental shelves at the time of the last glacial maximum. Occasional, anomalous reflections (acoustic turbidity) observed within the Holocene sequence are interpreted as gas accumulations. The maximum thickness of the Holocene sediments is found to be about 25 m. The isopach map of Holocene sediment implies that the thickness of the Holocene decreases from the east towards the central and western basins of İzmit Bay. Two distinct fault systems are interpreted in İzmit Bay. The main fault system extending roughly in an E-W direction along the Gulf of İzmit is an active right lateral strike slip fault with a normal component. The secondary faults are normal faults striking in different directions and these are identified as being both active and inactive. In addition, prominent compressive features are identified in the seismic cross-sections of some profiles acquired to the east of Hersek Peninsula where the focal mechanisms of the aftershocks of the 1999 İzmit earthquake also reveal predominantly reverse faulting mechanisms, as identified by a local dense seismic network.     

Estimation of freshwater runoff into Glacier Bay,Alaska and incorporation into a tidal circulation model

Freshwater discharge is one of the most critical parameters driving water properties within fjord estuarine environments. To date, however, little attention has been paid to the issue of freshwater runoff into Glacier Bay, a recently deglaciated fjord in southeastern Alaska. Estimates of discharge into Glacier Bay and the outlying waters of Icy Strait and Cross Sound are therefore presented. Existing regression equations for southcentral and southeastern coastal Alaska are applied to Glacier Bay to arrive at the estimates. A limited set of acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) measurements generally support the predictions of the regression equations. The results suggest that discharge into the bay ranges from a few hundred to a few thousand m³ s⁻¹ during a typical year. Peak discharges can be much higher, approximately 10,000 m³ s⁻¹ for the 10-year flow event. Estimates of the seasonal variation of discharge are also obtained and reveal a broad peak during the summer months.     

Structural control on syn-rift sedimentation,northwestern Red Sea margin,Egypt

Detailed field mapping of a 120-km-long segment of the northwestern Red Sea margin reveals the existence of a number of sediment-input sites where Lower Miocene sediments form coarse-grained fan delta systems. Localizations of the fan deltas at the sediment-input sites (Wadis Gassus, Guesis, Quwyh and Sharm El Bahari) are controlled by structural and topographic elements, including relay ramps between interacting normal fault segments, cross-trend transfer faults, reactivated Precambrian basement fabrics and the plunge directions of tilted fault blocks. Sedimentary facies and geometrical characteristics of the fan deltas indicate that they are progradational and “Gilbert-type” fan delta systems. Variations in size and composition of the conglomerate clasts reflect the heterogeneous lithologies of the Precambrian basement and pre-rift strata in the source areas along the rift margin. Palaeocurrent data show marked changes in paleoflow directions, from northeast in the northernmost fans to east and southeast directions in the southern fans. This change occurs across the Duwi accommodation zone which formed a topographic high separating the oppositely dipping half-grabens in the study area. The data presented in this paper clearly demonstrates that the structural architecture of the northwestern Red Sea margin together with its related topographic expressions played a fundamental role in controlling the drainage network systems, sediment dispersal and localization of the fan deltas in this part of the rift system.     

Accurate ocean tide modeling in southeast Alaska and large tidal dissipation around Glacier Bay

An accurate prediction of ocean tides in southeast Alaska is developed using a regional, barotropic ocean model with a finite difference scheme. The model skill is verified by the observational tidal harmonics in southeast Alaska including Glacier Bay. The result is particularly improved in Glacier Bay compared to the previous model described by Foreman et al. (2000). The model bathymetry dominates the model skill. We re-estimate tidal energy dissipation in the Alaska Panhandle and suggest a value for tidal energy dissipation of 3.4 GW associated with the M₂ constituent which is 1.5 times the estimation of Foreman et al. (2000). A large portion of the M₂ energy budget entering through Chatham Strait is dissipated in the vicinity of Glacier Bay. Moreover, it is shown that the developed model has the potential to correct the ocean tide loading effect in geodetic data more efficiently than the model of Foreman et al. (2000), especially around Glacier Bay.     

Shallow-water longshore drift-fed submarine fan deposition (Moisie River Delta, Eastern Canada)

Submarine canyons and associated submarine fans are in some cases located at the end of a littoral cell where they act as conduits for the transfer of eroded terrigenous sediments to the marine environment. Such fans are generally found in deep-water settings at >500 m water depth. Offshore the Moisie River Delta (NW Gulf of St. Lawrence, Eastern Canada), high-resolution multibeam bathymetry and seismic data led to the discovery of an unusually shallow submarine fan (≤60 m) located at the end of a littoral cell. Sediment is transported westward on the shallow coastal shelf, as demonstrated by the downcurrent displacement of oblique nearshore sandbars where the shelf narrows to less than 1 km. The steep slope near the end of the littoral cell is incised by a channel that feeds a submarine fan composed of smaller channels and depositional lobes. According to existing Holocene evolution models for the region, the fan formed within the last 5,000 years. Its evolution is largely due to the transport of sediment by longshore drift. Multibeam echosounder and seismic data also reveal that the gravity-driven accretion of the submarine fan is characterized mainly by two processes, i.e., frequent small-scale, downslope migration of sandwaves on the slope, and more episodic slumping/turbidity-current activity in the deeper part of the fan. This study documents that, besides their common deep-water location, smaller-scale submarine fans can occur also in very shallow water, implying that they could be more frequent than previously thought both in modern environments and in the rock record.     

The French Atlantic margin and deep-sea submarine systems

The sedimentary infill of the Bay of Biscay off Ireland, UK, France and Spain took place in four phases. The last one (35 Ma to present) is characterised by gravitational, pelagic, contouritic and glacigenic processes leading to the setup of three deep sea systems. To the North, the Celtic and Armorican fans are fed by a “canyon-dominated” margin and its connection with the “Manche” palaeoriver, which drained a large area of western Europe. To the South, the Cap-Ferret fan results from the evolution of a “tectonic-dominated” margin and the erosion of the Pyrenee mountains.     

The Deep-Sea Fan deposits of the miocene Marnoso-arenacea formation, northern Apennines

Submarine fans of different sizes, geometry, and petrology were built in the Marnoso-arenacea Basin, a migrating foredeep within an active continental margin. In an initial depositional stage, a well-developed basin plain received sediment from flows that by-passed restricted fan systems, now buried, located near the north end of an elongated basin. Minor fans grew near the steeper, tectonically deformed side of the basin. In the later stage, turbidite deposition was stopped in the former basin plain. Sediment sources and feeder channels shifted and fed fan lobes that prograded in a narrower trough and were distored (choked). The tectonic control on development of megasequence and sand bodies is stressed here in contrast with previous emphasis on “inner” or “autocyclic” mechanisms. Margin setting represents fan and/or source area     

Study on the Cretaceous turbidite and reservoir features in the Qingshankou Formation in northern Songliao Basin,NE China

Based on analysis of well and drilling data, cores, sediment grains and 3D seismic data, four types of turbidites–slope fan, channelized, laminated and sublacustrine fan turbidite–are identified in Members 1 and 2 of the Qingshankou Formation in northern Songliao Basin. The slope fan turbidite is located in Members 1 and 2 of the Qingshankou Formation. It is dominated by silt and fine sand and is distributed in an SN-trending ribbon zone along the slope break at delta front in the western part of the basin. The channelized turbidite is located at the bottom of Member 1 of the Qingshankou Formation. It is dominated by silt and fine sand and is distributed in an SN-trending strip-shaped zone along the Qijia-Gulong sag, with funnel-shaped sublacustrine fans at the end. The laminated turbidite body is located in Member 2 of the Qingshankou Formation. It is dominated by siltstone and argillaceous siltstone and is distributed continuously in a tongue-shaped zone along the northern delta front towards the lacustrine region, with belt-like distributaries at the central part and sublacustrine fans at the end. Low-permeability and low-yield lithologic reservoirs are formed near the delta front within the slope fan turbidite and channelized turbidite. There are “sweet spots” in local regions, where reservoir reform techniques are required to attain high industrial yields. Laminated turbidite and sublacustrine fans can form unconventional and continuous reservoirs that generally have no natural productivity; industrial production is impossible until horizontal drilling and multistage volume fracturing are employed. Therefore, the research results are important to the exploration of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs in northern Songliao Basin.     

Transport processes deduced from geochemistry and the void ratio of surface core samples, deep sea Sagami Bay, central Japan

Sagami Bay is a deep-water foreland basin with an average sedimentary rate of approximately 0.1 g/cm²/year. It is an appropriate area to study for better understanding of sedimentary processes in a setting with a high sedimentation rate. Seven multiple core samples, 30-50 cm thick, were obtained from Sagami Bay. Four of the core samples were taken from the Tokyo submarine fan system (Tokyo canyon floor, Tokyo fan valley and its levee, the distal fan margin). Two samples were obtained from the Sakawa fan delta and the adjacent topographic high. The remaining one was from an escarpment of the Sagami submarine fault. Variations in chemical composition can be recognized at every coring site. They show two different sediment sources: the sediments of the Tokyo submarine fan system and those from Sakawa fan delta. Further, there are differences in chemical composition between canyon floor and levees even within the Tokyo submarine fan system. The results suggest that the sedimentary process is strongly controlled not by vertical particle settling but by a hyperpycnal flow process. The proxies obtained from the core samples do not reflect conditions in the water column immediately overlying the sea floor. Rather, they are controlled by conditions on the adjacent continental shelf or/and shallow basins, which are the areas of primary accumulation.     

Modern fan deltas in the western Gulf of Corinth,Greece

Rivers in the western Gulf of Corinth have built gravelly fan deltas into waters 100–300 m deep. Seismic profiles (3.5 kHz) and gravity cores show that sand-filled channels extend seaward of modern distributary mouths and lead to sandy depositional lobes in deeper water. Much of the fan delta slope is underlain by mud. Closely spaced gullies cut the interchannel ridges on either side of the main channels. Incised slope valleys occur on east-facing slopes, where the wave fetch is greatest, and may be formed by rip-current-induced turbidity currents.     

Submarine faults and slides on the continental shelf,northern Gulf of Alaska

Abstract

Submarine faults and slides or slumps of Quaternary age are potential environmental hazards on the outer continental shelf (OCS) of the northern Gulf of Alaska. Most faults that approach or reach the seafloor cut strata that may be equivalent in age to the upper Yakataga Formation (Pliocene‐Pleistocene). Along several faults, the seafloor is vertically offset from 5 to 20 m. A few faults appear to cut Holocene sediments, but none of these shows displacement at the seafloor. Submarine slides or slumps have been found in two places in the OCS region: (1) seaward of the Malaspina Glacier and Icy Bay, an area of 1200 km² with a slope of less than 0.5°, and (2) across the entire span of the Copper river prodelta, an area of 1730 km², having a slope of about 0.5°. Seismic profiles across these areas show disrupted reflectors and irregular topography commonly associated with submarine slides or slumps. Potential slide or slump areas have been delineated in areas of thick sediment accumulation and relatively steep slopes. These areas include (1) Kayak Trough, (2) parts of Hinchinbrook Entrance and Sea Valley, (3) parts of the outer shelf and upper slope between Kayak Island and Yakutat Bay, and (4) Bering Trough.     

渤中凹陷东二下亚段湖底扇分布特征及富砂性预测

湖底扇是渤海海域岩性油气藏勘探的主要沉积类型。针对渤中凹陷湖底扇发育特征不明、富砂性不清的问题,基于已钻井、三维地震资料,运用层序地层学、类比法等研究方法,通过层序划分、地震相识别,结合辽东湾地区已钻富砂湖底扇统计类比,建立湖底扇富砂综合评价指数,明确渤中凹陷东二下亚段湖底扇特征及富砂性。研究结果表明,渤中凹陷湖底扇主要发育在东二下亚段高位域及低位域,呈环带状分布。湖平面变化决定湖底扇发育类型及数量,古坡折控制湖底扇发育位置,可容纳空间决定湖底扇发育形态及规模。统计分析表明,物源区相对距离、地震反射构型、平面宽长比及最大厚度与面积比等参数与湖底扇富砂性呈明显线性关系。依据上述参数建立湖底扇富砂综合评价指数,预测渤中18-A构造区①、②号湖底扇为下一步最有利的岩性勘探目标。创新建立的湖底扇富砂综合评价指数,对渤海海域湖底扇岩性勘探具有重要的指导意义。     

Navy Fan, California Borderland: Growth pattern and depositional processes

Navy Fan is a Late Pleistocene sand-rich fan prograding into an irregularly shaped basin in the southern California Borderland. The middle fan, characterized by one active and two abandoned “distributary” channels and associated lobe deposits, at present onlaps part of the basin slope directly opposite from the upper-fan valley, thus dividing the lower-fan/basin-plain regions into two separate parts of different depths. Fine-scale mesotopographic relief on the fan surface and correlation of individual turbidite beds through nearly 40 cores on the middle and lower fan provide data for evaluating the Late Pleistocene and Holocene depositional processes. Margin setting represents fan and/or source area     

渤海湾盆地渤中凹陷古近系沉积体系演化及物源分析

综合运用地质、测井、地震及分析化验等资料,对渤海湾盆地渤中凹陷古近系沉积体系进行了较深入的研究,研究表明渤中凹陷古近系的沉积体系主要受构造升降和湖平面变化的控制,经历了3期裂陷和湖侵,发育5套沉积体系,其中沙河街组沉积时期为裂陷期,以扇三角洲、湖底扇沉积为主,并发育特征的滩坝及浅水台地相沉积;东营组沉积时期为湖侵期,主要发育大型湖泊三角洲沉积,并逐渐向辫状河相过渡。构造及沉积体系分析认为,沙三段沉积时期物源丰富,主要来自石臼坨凸起、渤南和庙西凸起,沙一、二段沉积时期物源有限,东三沉积期物源主要来自石臼坨和沙东南凸起,东二沉积期大面积的湖侵使得本区处于浅湖-半深湖环境,凹陷周边大量古水系将石臼坨凸起、沙垒田凸起的物源带入凹陷中沉积,使得大型三角洲叠覆体广泛发育。     

Photographic observations of the stalked crinoidMetacrinus rotundus carpenter in Suruga Bay,central Japan

Photographic observations were carried out at depths of the shelf edge at the mouth of Uchiura Inlet, Suruga Bay, central Japan in order to clarify the life style of the isocrinid stalked crinoid,Metacrinus rotundus (Echinodermata). The distribution of the species was found to be restricted to a narrow area where boulders and rock outcrops were locally present. Mean density of the crinoid was 0.05 m^–2, and this value was an order of magnitude smaller than that of the deeper isocrinid,Diplocrinus wyvillethomsoni, reported from the Bay of Biscay.Metacrinus rotundus formed a parabolic filtration fan with its arms recurved into the bottom current, and was thought to be a passive suspension feeder elevating the fan into the water column by its stalk. The distal half of the stalk lay along the hard substratum and about ten groups of cirri grasped the substratum. This mode of attachment was similar to that ofCenocrinus rather than that ofDiplocrinus. Metacrinus rotundus collect food at the layer between 10 and 50 cm above the sea floor, and do not utilize a higher layer even when this layer could be utilized by climbing over a larger boulder. Resuspended benthic materials are thought to be important as a food source forM. rotundus, and the crinoids seek not only locations of stronger currents but also the position where much resuspended matter is available.     

Marine geology of St. George’s Bay, Newfoundland, as interpreted from multibeam bathymetry and back-scatter data

 Multibeam bathymetric data collected in St. George’s Bay, Newfoundland, show glacial and postglacial landforms in a 100-m-deep basin offshore from a barrier. Back-scatter data provide information on sediment lithology. Features undetected by previous conventional surveys include large bedforms on the surface of a barrier platform and submarine fans on its flanks. The data demonstrate that sediment transport processes are more complex than was previously believed. Multibeam bathymetric images are the sea-floor equivalents of air photographs. They can be used effectively to plan conventional acoustic surveys. Received: 16 February 1996 / Revision received: 4 September 1996     

Holocene accumulation of organic carbon at the Laptev Sea continental margin (Arctic Ocean): sources, pathways, and sinks

Composition and accumulation rates of organic carbon in Holocene sediments provided data to calculate an organic carbon budget for the Laptev Sea continental margin. Mean Holocene accumulation rates in the inner Laptev Sea vary between 0.14 and 2.7 g C cm⁻² ky⁻¹; maximum values occur close to the Lena River delta. Seawards, the mean accumulation rates decrease from 0.43 to 0.02 g C cm⁻² ky⁻¹. The organic matter is predominantly of terrigenous origin. About 0.9 × 10⁶ t year⁻¹ of organic carbon are buried in the Laptev Sea, and 0.25 × 10⁶ t year⁻¹ on the continental slope. Between about 8.5 and 9 ka, major changes in supply of terrigenous and marine organic carbon occur, related to changes in coastal erosion, Siberian river discharge, and/or Atlantic water inflow along the Eurasian continental margin. Received: 26 October 1998 / Revision accepted: 15 June 1999     

Tidally generated sea-floor lineations in Bristol Bay, Alaska, USA

Highly reflective linear features occur in water depths of 20–30 m in northern Bristol Bay (Alaska, USA) and are, in places, over 600 m in length. Their length-to-width ratio is over 100:1. The lineations are usually characterized by large transverse ripples with wavelengths of 1–2 m. The lineations trend about N60°E, and are spaced between 20 and 350 m. Main tidal directions near the lineations are N60°E (flood) and S45°W (ebb), which are parallel to subparallel to the lineations. They suggest that the lineations may be tidally generated. The lineations may be bright sonar reflections from a winnowed lag concentrate of coarse sand.