Sand waves and sediment transport around the end of a tidal sand bank

Two detailed surveys have been made of the north-western end of the Haisborough Sand off the Norfolk coast using echosounder, 3-5 kHz reflection profiler and side-scan sonar. Asymmetrical sand waves indicate north-westerly sand movement on the southern side and south-easterly sand movement on the steeper northern side of the bank. Secondary, superimposed megaripples, which are probably better indicators of sediment movement, give evidence of a cross-bank component. Between the north-westerly and south-easterly facing sand waves on the tip of the bank there is a zone of symmetrical sand waves. These are usually taken to indicate zero net transport, but in this case the oblique orientation of megaripples in their troughs indicates transport parallel to the sand wave crests. This suggests the route by which sand travels around the end of the bank to form a roughly closed circulation. Sediment textural parameters support the notion that sand is winnowed from the foot of the bank on both sides and is transported to the middle with an overall net transport from the south to the north. Analysis of charts dating back to 1886 shows that the bank is stable within the error limits of position fixing, though that could allow more than 0-25 km shift to the north east in 100 years to pass undetected. A box model is drawn up for the estimated sediment fluxes around the end of the bank, and implications for residence times and circulation rates are drawn from it.     

OCCURRENCE OF HIGH-ANGLE STRATIFICATION IN LITTORAL AND SHALLOW NERITIC ENVIRONMENTS,CENTRAL GEORGIA COAST,U.S.A.1

High-angle stratification (greater than 20°) is produced in several areas of shallow marine sedimentation along the barrier islands of the central Georgia coast. The maximum angle of inclination is 30° which is the angle of repose for the saturated, fine-grained, angular sand of this area. High-angle stratification forms in the following locations: (1) The depositional margin of tidal channel inlets. Under some wave and current conditions, sand accumulates near low tide level and steepens the depositional interface to the angle of repose. (2) The steep face of asymmetrical megaripples developed by tidal currents. Ripples with amplitudes as much as 3 ft. and wave lengths of 20–40 ft. commonly develop in channel inlets and other areas of sand sediments. (3) The steep face of sand waves formed in channel inlets. These large asymmetrical ripples have amplitudes as great as 12 ft. and wave lengths of ca. 300 ft. Lengths along the crests are over 600 ft. (4) The landward side of low bars developed on the beach. Bars and troughs (ridges and runnels) are common on the beaches of this area. The bars, which are as much as 5 ft. high, shift landward by deposition on the steep landward face. (5) The oceanward side of large sand waves at the mouth of offshore tidal channels. Large sand waves are located 6 miles offshore from Doboy Sound inlet in 20–25 ft. of water. The steep face of these asymmetrical sand waves is orientated toward the ocean. Amplitude of these large ripples is as much as 17 ft. and length along the crests is over 1/2 mile.     

Sand waves: A model of origin and internal structure

Sand waves are large flow-transverse bedforms coupled to oscillatory boundary-layer currents of tidal origin. Like the much smaller ripple-marks generated by short-period wind waves, sand waves are observed to grow more asymmetrical with increase in the time—velocity asymmetry of the governing currents, that is, with increase in the steady component of flow (mass-transport strictly related to wave-motion) relative to the periodic component. Wind-wave ripple-marks owe their origin directly to a mass-transport component dependent on bed-curvature, which arises naturally wherever a sufficiently powerful oscillatory flow is imposed on a deformable grain boundary. This curvature-related current, flowing from troughts to crests on the bed, drifts grains mobilized by the periodic component into transverse bands. Sand waves may also owe their origin and growth to an unstable interaction within tide-generated oscillatory boundary layers between the mobile bed and a curvature-related mass-transport.Sand-wave internal structure apparently depends on the strength and degree of asymmetry of the governing currents. Relatively symmetrical forms associated with currents of low asymmetry are expected to contain comparatively small, intricately related herring-bone or climbing cross-bedding sets. Relatively asymmetrical currents shape sand waves with one side so steep that large-scale flow separation is inevitable. The predominant structure is then expected to be long avalanche bedding broken into sets by mud drapes and bioturbated zones representing periods of gentle flow, and/or by erosional discontinuities recording tidal reversals. The expected structures have parallels in the stratigraphic record and amongst modern sand waves.     

广东珠江口-东平近海浅地层剖面的声学特征及地质意义

在对2005年广东珠江口-东平近海海域实测浅地层声学剖面资料进行地质解释的基础上,划分出八个地震相单元(亚单元),建立了调查区浅地层的沉积格架。对调查区内发育的沙脊、潮沟充填沉积体、浅海沙席和沙波等海底砂质地质体,以及埋藏潮流沙脊、大型充填潮沟和埋藏古河道等地质体的特征有了较深入的了解。对砂矿赋存条件、砂体厚度及物源供给等因素进行了讨论。     

舟山海域海砂资源声地层剖面探测研究

在对研究区实测声地层剖面资料进行分析解释的基础上,对比地质浅钻资料,将浅部地层划分为四个地震相单元,对研究区浅地层的沉积格架有了进一步的认识。对区内海底潮流沙脊、沙席、埋藏潮流沙脊、海底沙波等砂质地质体的地质特征有了较深入的了解,并对砂矿的物质来源、成因进行了讨论,揭示出本区砂体近源沉积、快速堆积的特点。     

Sediment transport and bedforms in a carbonate tidal inlet; Lee Stocking Island, Exumas, Bahamas

An active oolitic sand wave was monitored for a period of 37 days in order to address the relationship between the direction and strength of tidal currents and the resultant geometry, and amount and direction of migration of bedforms in carbonate sands. The study area is situated in a tidal channel near Lee Stocking Island (Exumas, Bahamas) containing an estimated 5.5 to 6 × 10⁵ m³ of mobile oolitic sand. Tidal ranges within the inlet are microtidal and the maximum current velocity at the studied site is 0.6 m s^?1. At least 300–400 m³ of mostly oolitic sand are formed within, or brought into, the channel area every year. The tidal inlet is subdivided into an ocean-orientated segment, in which sand waves are shaped by both flood and ebb tides, and a platform-orientated segment, where sand waves are mainly shaped by flood tides. The studied sand wave lies on the platformward flood-tide dominated segment in a water depth of 3.5.4.5 m. During the 37 days of observation, the oolitic and bioclastic sand wave migrated 4 m in the direction of the dominant flood current. The increments of migration were directly related to the strength of the tide. During each tidal cycle, bedforms formed depending on the strength of the tidal current, tidal range and their location on the sand wave. During flood tides, a steep lee and a gentle stoss side formed and current ripples and small dunes developed on the crest of the sand wave, while the trough developed only ripples. The average lee slope of the sand wave is 24.2°, and therefore steeper than typical siliciclastic sand waves. During ebb tides, portions of the crest are eroded creating a convex upward ebb stoss side, covered with climbing cuspate and linguoid ripples and composite dunes. The area between the ebb-lee side and the trough is covered with fan systems, sinuous ripples and dunes. The migration of all bedforms deviated to a variable degree from the main current direction, reflecting complex flow patterns in the tidal inlet. Small bedforms displayed the largest deviation, migrating at an angle of up to 90° and more to the dominant current direction during spring tides.     

The morphology of barchan-shaped sand banks from western Torres Strait, northern Australia

Large barchan-shaped sand deposits have been observed in the north west of Torres Strait. These deposits share characteristics of both subaerial barchan dunes and subaqueous sand banks. A study of satellite imagery indicate that the deposits migrate in the direction indicated by their horns (10-15 m west per year), and that sediment is shed from their horns, features that are characteristic of barchan dunes. However the orientations of sand dunes superimposed upon the sand banks indicate the presence of mutually-evasive channels and circulation of sediment around the sand bank, a characteristic of subaqueous sand banks. The presence of mutually-evasive channels is the criteria used to categorise the deposits as sand banks.Barchan forms are known to exist in regions with limited sediment supply and unidirectional current or wind regimes. In the Torres Strait both these criteria are met. Previous work has demonstrated the presence of a net westward current through the Torres Strait that is driven by the southeast trade winds. The relatively high displacement of the wind-driven currents during the trade wind season relative to the monsoon appears to provide the necessary ‘unidirectional’ regime to form barchans. The low, and typically eastwards, displacement of the residual monsoon season current appears to have a negligible affect on the barchan form. While seasonal wind-driven currents appear to maintain the barchan shape of the sand banks, tidal currents actively maintain mutually-evasive channels observed by variations in dune orientation on the sand banks. A sediment starved environment combined with bedload transport attributed to both wind driven and tidal currents is concluded to create a unique hydrodynamic environment where sand banks can attain a barchan form.     

Megaripples, ridges and runnels on intertidal flats of the Wash, England

Observations have been made of parts of the channels and the outer portions of the sand banks in the Wash using 1 : 10 000 air photographs and brief ground surveys at low spring tides. Two principal structures are found. In the channels megaripples 0.3–0.6 m high and of 10–15 m modal spacing are dominantly flood orientated. They do not reverse during ebb tide. On the outer parts of banks low ridges of 0.5 m height and 50-100 m spacing are interpreted as wave-formed ridge and runnel structure. They contain wave-rippled mud patches in the runnels and although they have shorewards asymmetry do not appear to migrate to any great extent. It is suggested that only in sheltered areas do the Wash intertidal flats show a lower mudflat subfacies; the norm is outer bank sand flats with ridge and runnel structure eventually overlain by Arenicola sand-flats during progradation.     

Re-evaluation of coquinoid sandstone depositional model, Upper Jurassic of central Wyoming and south-central Montana

The most extensive Jurassic marine transgression in North America reached its maximum limits during the Oxfordian Age. At this time, siliciclastic sediments were being brought into the North American seaway from an uplifted zone to the west. Within this setting, complexes of sand ridges and coquinoid sands layers were deposited. Coquinoid sandstones appear to fill erosional scours and were interpreted as channel fills. Re-evaluation of these features in the light of recently discovered attributes of modern shelf sediments and processes has produced a revised model of coquinoid sand deposition in this setting. Coquinoid sandstones which fill ‘channel-like’ scours in the Oxfordian (Upper Jurassic) rocks of central Wyoming and south-central Montana, appear to have formed through the migration of sand waves across the crests of inner shelf sand ridges during periods of storm and tidal flow. Erosion in the zone of flow reattachment in the troughs between sand waves resulted in the development of shell lags. Migration of these scour zones as the sand waves advanced resulted in the deposition of sheet-like coquinoid sandstone bodies. Sand waves crossing the ridge crest tended to migrate more slowly and to be overstepped by later sand waves. Sand wave troughs thus buried have channel-like geometries with apparent epsilon bedding.     

Deep‐water dunes on drowned isolated carbonate terraces (Mozambique Channel,south‐west Indian Ocean)

Subaqueous sand dunes are common bedforms on continental shelves dominated by tidal and geostrophic currents. However, much less is known about sand dunes in deep‐marine settings that are affected by strong bottom currents. In this study, dune fields were identified on drowned isolated carbonate platforms in the Mozambique Channel (south‐west Indian Ocean). The acquired data include multibeam bathymetry, multi‐channel high‐resolution seismic reflection data, sea floor imagery, a sediment sample and current measurements from a moored current meter and hull‐mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler. The dunes are located at water depths ranging from 200 to 600 m on the slope terraces of a modern atoll (Bassas da India Atoll) and within small depressions formed during tectonic deformation of drowned carbonate platforms (Sakalaves Seamount and Jaguar Bank). Dunes are composed of bioclastic medium size sand, and are large to very large, with wavelengths of 40 to 350 m and heights of 0·9 to 9·0 m. Dune migration seems to be unidirectional in each dune field, suggesting a continuous import and export of bioclastic sand, with little sand being recycled. Oceanic currents are very intense in the Mozambique Channel and may be able to erode submerged carbonates, generating carbonate sand at great depths. A mooring located at 463 m water depth on the Hall Bank (30 km west of the Jaguar Bank) showed vigorous bottom currents, with mean speeds of 14 cm sec^?1 and maximum speeds of 57 cm sec^?1, compatible with sand dune formation. The intensity of currents is highly variable and is related to tidal processes (high‐frequency variability) and to anticyclonic eddies near the seamounts (low‐frequency variability). This study contributes to a better understanding of the formation of dunes in deep‐marine settings and provides valuable information about carbonate preservation after drowning, and the impact of bottom currents on sediment distribution and sea floor morphology.     

Megaripple dynamics and sediment transport in a mesotidal mangrove creek: implications for palaeoflow reconstructions

An experiment was conducted to study megaripple morpho dynamics on a sandy intertidal shoal in a mesotidal mangrove creek (Gordon Creek, Townsville, Australia). Tidal current velocity and depth were recorded with S4 current meters over a period of 35 tides. The tidal megaripples were 0.06–0.2 m in height and 1–2 m in wavelength, and their movement was monitored by (1) electromagnetic bed-elevation probes (which automatically recorded bed level every 2 min at three positions along the survey transect) and (2) daily surveying for 8 days around spring tidals. The tidal currents in Gordon Creek are ebb-dominated, with maximum depth-mean current velocities for the flood and ebb tides of 0.62 and 0.98 m s^?1 respectively. Significant bedload transport occurs only during spring tides, and only on the larger of the unequal semi-diurnal tides. Bedload transport is overwhelmingly in the ebb direction. Megaripple migration rates reach 5.6 m per tide in the ebb direction and up to 0.1 m min^?1 within individual tides. Within-tide ‘bedform transport rates’are up to 0.29 kg m^?1 s^?1. The results suggest that for reconstruction of palaeoflows from deposits of preserved fine- to medium-grained sandy tidal megaripples, it is valid to use a depth-averaged velocity of 0.5–0.6 m s^?1 as the migration threshold. Velocity thresholds associated with partial or complete reversal of megaripple asymmetry are invalid.     

Sedimentary conditions and deposits of Akimiski Strait,James Bay,Canada

Akimiski Strait is a wide (17–20 km), shallow, emergent (0.70 cm per century) waterway in James Bay. It is localized in a saddle of a Paleozoic reef track, which has been enhanced and molded by Pleistocene glaciers. Drumlinoid ridges form the till cores of shoals and islets of the strait. The boundary conditions of the strait change throughout the year, as it is covered by ice for six months. During spring break-up the strait remains clogged with ice at its northern approach for several weeks, and acts as a large tidal inlet. It is during this period that most of the fluvial sediments are carried to sea. Other sediments are obtained by erosion of the Pleistocene tills and Holocene subtidal clays and silts exposed in nearshore areas. Resuspension of nearshore material is achieved through the action of wind-driven, short choppy waves and ice scour. Tides are the most important process for the redistribution of sediments along the coast, both flooding onshore and flooding and ebbing into and out from the strait generating locally powerful (2 m s^?1) reversing currents. Ice rafting and ice pushing are important processes in this frigid environment, particularly in upwind sides of shaols, and at/or near river mouths.Different intertidal sedimentary sequences develop as functions of sediment supply and exposure of the environments to ice, currents and waves. The eastern shores and the southern shoals of the strait develop pebble lags over till, covered by thin (5–20 cm) drapes of silty sand trapped and protected from erosion by algae. In these shores and in emerging small islands significant sedimentation (1–1.5 m thick) occurs in the marshes where the suspended load of tidal waters is trapped by vegetation. The western shores of the strait receive considerable amounts of sediment from large rivers and are affected by strong tidal longshore currents. Thick (3–4 m) and narrow tidal flats and marshes develop on the maincoast. The shoals of the northern part of the strait have characteristic sediments. Those near the western shore have thin (up to 80 cm) tidal silty sand deposits, locally heavily burrowed by Macoma balthica. Those strung across the northern approach to the strait have well-developed, thin, coarse sand dune fields, indicating a prevalent ebb flow out of the strait.     

Chevron Ridges and Runup Deposits in the Bahamas from Storms Late in Oxygen-Isotope Substage 5e

Landward-pointing V-shaped sand ridges several kilometers long are common along the windward margin of the Bahama Islands. Their axes share a northeast–southwest trend. Internally, the ridges contain low-angle oolitic beds with few erosional truncations. Commonly interbedded are tabular, fenestrae-rich beds such as those formed by the sheet flow of water over dry sand. Defined here as “chevron ridges,” these landforms appear to have originated in the rapid remobilization of bank margin ooid bodies by the action of long-period waves from a northeasterly source. Deposits along adjacent coastlines also preserve evidence of the impact of large waves. Reworked eolian sand bodies preserve beach fenestrae and hydraulic scour traces up to +40 m on older ridges. On cliffed coasts, 1000-ton boulders have been thrown well inland, recording the impact of large waves. Amino acid ratios confirm a correlation of the ridges across the archipelago, while stratigraphy, spacing, and cross-cutting relationships indicate emplacement as sea level fell rapidly from the substage 5e maximum at or above +6 m.     

Architecture of a tide-influenced river delta in the Frontier Formation of central Wyoming, USA

The Frewens sandstone is composed of two elongate tide-influenced sandstone bodies that are positioned directly above and slightly landward of a more wave-influenced lobate sandstone. The 20-km-long, 3-km-wide Frewens sandstone bodies coarsen upwards and fine away from their axes, have gradational bases and margins and have eroded tops abruptly overlain by marine shales. These sandstones are superbly exposed in large cliffs on the banks of the South Fork of the Powder River in central Wyoming, USA. The deposits change upwards from thinly interbedded sandstones and mudstones to metre-thick heterolithic cross-strata and, finally, to metres-thick sandstone-dominated cross-strata. There is abundant evidence for tidal modulation of depositional flows; however, palaeocurrents were strongly ebb-dominated and nearly parallel the trend of sandstone-body elongation. Detailed mapping of stratal geometry and facies across these exposures shows a complex internal architecture. Large-scale bedding units within sandstone bodies are defined by alternations in facies, bed thickness and the abundance of shales. Such bedsets are inclined (5°–15°) in walls oriented parallel to palaeoflow and gradually decrease in dip over hundreds of metres as they extend from the sandstone-dominated deposits higher in a sandstone body to muddier deposits lower in the body. Where viewed perpendicular to palaeoflow, bedsets are 100-metre-wide lenses that shingle off the sandstone-body axis towards its margins. The sandstone bodies are interpreted as sand ridge deposits formed on the shoreface of a tide-influenced river delta. Metres-thick cross-strata in the upper parts of sandstone bodies resemble deposits of bars (sandwaves) formed where tidal currents moved across shallows and the tops of tidal ridges. Heterolithic deposits lower in sandstone bodies record fluctuating currents caused by ebb and flood tides and varying river discharge. Erosion surfaces capping sandstone bodies record tidal ravinement. The tidal ridges were abandoned following transgression and covered with marine mud as waters deepened.     

MIS 3晚期以来江苏中部海岸的层序地层

通过对苏北岸外西洋潮流通道内钻孔和地震剖面的地层沉积学、年代地层学、地震地层学和层序地层学等多学科再研究,以及区域钻孔再对比,本文确定该海域约从35kaBP(14C惯用年龄)开始经历了滨岸砂坝、淡水湖沼、河流泛滥平原、滨岸沼泽、潮流沙脊和潮流通道一系列的环境演变,主要受控于MIS3晚期以来的海平面旋回以及古河流入海沉积物供给,而构造沉降是相对次要的,由此形成了五级层序地层中的末次冰期晚间冰阶准层序和冰后期准层序,以及前者的高水位体系域和强制海退楔体系域、后者的海侵体系域和高水位体系域。海域中潮流沙脊可能开始发育于冰后期海侵淹没本区(约9calkaBP)之后,但一直只是水下暗沙且处在不断调整之中,直到1128～1855AD间黄河夺淮从苏北入黄海,大量泥沙充填潮道,部分水下暗沙出露海面成为明沙。西洋潮流通道并非是晚全新世期间通过沙脊的蚀低而形成,而在全新世高海面前后就已具雏形并持续至1128AD,1128～1855AD和1855AD至今分别经历了充填淤浅与冲刷成型的过程,且今后具有进一步展宽刷深的趋势。     

Morphodynamic evolution and stratal architecture of translating tidal point bars: Inferences from the northern Venice Lagoon (Italy)

The widespread distribution of tidal creeks and channels that undertake meandering behaviour in modern coasts contrasts with their limited documentation in the fossil record, where point‐bar elements arising from the interaction between a mix of both fluvial and tidal currents are mainly documented. The sedimentary products of tidal channel‐bend evolution are relatively poorly known, and few studies have focused previously on specific facies models for tidal point bars present in modern settings. This study improves understanding of tidal channel meander bends through a multi‐disciplinary approach that combines analyses of historical aerial photographs, measurements of in‐channel flow velocity, high‐resolution facies analyses of sedimentary cores and three‐dimensional architectural modelling. The studied channel bend (12 to 15 m wide and 2 to 3 m deep) drains a salt marsh area located in the north‐eastern sector of the microtidal Venice Lagoon, Italy. Historical photographs show that, during the past 77 years, the bend has translated seaward ca 15 m. Results show that the channel bend formed on a non‐vegetated mud flat that was progressively colonized by vegetation. Seaward translation occurred under aggradational conditions, with an overall migration rate of 0·2 to 0·3 m year⁻¹, and was promoted by the occurrence of cohesive, poorly erodible outer bank deposits. Ebb currents are dominant, and translation of the channel bend promotes erosion and deposition along the landward and seaward side of the bar, respectively. Tidal currents show a clear asymmetry in terms of velocity distribution, and their offset pattern provides a peculiar grain‐size distribution within the bar. During the flood stage, sand sedimentation occurs in the upper part of the bar, where the maximum flow velocity occurs. During the ebb stage, the bar experiences the secondary helical flow that accumulates sand at the toe of the bar. Lateral stacking of flood and ebb deposits has caused the formation of localized coarsening‐upward and fining‐upward sedimentary packages, respectively.     

The morphological dynamics of intertidal megaripples in the Mawddach Estuary, North Wales, and the implications for palaeoflow reconstructions

The morphology and migration rate of tidal bedforms are important because of their use in interpretation of modern and ancient sediment transport regimes. Tidal flow, megaripple morphology and migration were studied in the mesotidal Mawddach Estuary, North Wales, to examine the veracity of published flow-bedform relationships, quantify spatial variations in migration and assess consequences for palaeoflow reconstruction. Two transects were surveyed along a megarippled intertidal shoal (mean grain size 280 μm) for a period of 22 semi-diurnal tidal cycles. A vertical array of current meters recorded tidal current profiles at the centre of one of the transects. Flood tidal currents dominate at Fegla Fach shoal, with peak velocities over 1 m s^?1 at spring tides, and 0.5 m s ^?1 at neaps, and bed sediment transport was also flood-dominated. Over the lunar cycle, the morphology of the megaripples on the survey lines was divisible into three phases: 1 the neap mode-consisting of near-moribund two-dimensional (2-D) flood-orientated megaripples of wavelength c. 6 m and height c. 0.2 m; 2 a transitional mode-where, on rising tidal ranges, scour pits formed and developed into 3-D megaripples which underwent net migration with the flood tide; 3 the spring mode-consisting of 3-D megaripples of wavelength c. 4 m and height c. 0.2 m. Despite complete re-orientation by the ebb tide, these were recognizable from one low water survey to the next, and net migration was c. 1 m per tide with the flood tide. We infer the presence of the equilibrium ‘spring tidal form’ occurring as flood-orientated megaripples during the flood tide. The data support previously reported separation of 2-D and 3-D megaripples at a depth to grain size ratio of 8000, and at a depth-mean velocity of the dominant tide (U_maxdom) of 0.75-0.8 m s^?1. A migration threshold exists at U_maxdom of c. 0.53-0.57 m s^?1. Measures of migration which might be used on preserved sections have been applied to the data. These measures systematically overestimated bedform migration at most stages of the lunar cycle (by <25% at spring tides and <140% in the post-spring transition period), but were accurate when the megaripples had developed into their 'spring tidal form’. There is significant variation of migration rates within the survey populations. We conclude that whilst the occurrence of megaripple cross-sets may be used as a palaeoflow indicator, and sedimentary structures associated with 2-D to 3-D transitions may also be indicative of palaeoflows, there are likely to be significant uncertainties involved in using tidal bundles as an indication of sediment transport rates.     

Wave and tidal current sorting of shelf sediments southwest of England

The relative roles of waves and tidal currents in transporting bottom sediment on the continental shelf off Lands End, southwest England, are evaluated by study of (a) sediment grain size in relation to boundary layer measurements in tidal currents, (b) regional variation in sediment parameters in relation to peak tidal and wave-induced currents, and (c) visual observation of bedforms. (a) The sediments are mainly zoogenic sands. The average hydraulic equivalent median diameter is Mdφ=1.40φ (medium grade sand), and two-thirds of the median grain sizes fall between 0.97φ and 1.83φ. The linear bottom current which will just move this range of sizes is exceeded only slightly by the highest tidal drag velocities ū* measured in the area. Thus, sediment movement by tidal currents alone is restricted to areas of high bed roughness and strong peak tidal flows. In contrast, wave-induced oscillatory currents at 100 m depth (typical of the area) attain sufficient speed to disturb the same particle sizes over 3% of the time. This includes storm periods when much greater velocities occur. (b) The average Mdφ of the sediment decreases southwest and northeast from south of the Lizard. This correlates well with the pattern of maximum tidal current speeds, suggesting that tidal currents control the areal distribution of sediment median grain size. Most sediments are well sorted (mean σ_i=0.48φ). Sorting improves at shallower depths but does not improve in areas of faster tidal currents, suggesting that wave-induced currents exert the major control on sorting. Silt and clay proportions increase west of the Scilly Isles and are influenced by both wave and tidal currents. (c) Photographs and television pictures show that symmetrical bedforms due to wave action are dominant north and west of the western Channel. Asymmetric bedforms are more common in the western Channel itself, where tidal currents and bed roughness are both high. Results are used to construct a sediment transport model for the study area. Since medium grade well sorted sands occur in depths of over 100 m, many ancient, extensive, well sorted sand sheets may have been deposited at depths greater than previously suspected.     

侧扫声纳系统在管道穿越段海底地貌特征探测中的应用

针对瓯江口区域潮汐强烈及浅水作用明显的特点,海底管道的敷设及安全运营危险性大、且无法用常规方法进行检测的问题,采用了侧扫声纳系统的海底声学技术对海底管道穿越段地貌特征进行了有效探测。本次探测工作对发现的平坦海底、大型沙波、潮沟、小型洼坑、蚀余凸起等自然微地貌和抛锚等形成的锚沟及其后期自然发育而成的次生微地貌进行了特征分析,分析结果对不同类型海底地貌提出解决对策以及有效地减轻不良地貌形态对海底管道稳定性影响具有重要意义[1]。     

Recent morphology and sedimentary processes along the western slope of Great Bahama Bank (Bahamas)

Carbonate slopes and associated resedimented deposits have recently gained renewed interest because they represent volumetrically significant parts of carbonate platforms. Carbonate slopes are highly variable compositionally, architecturally and spatially due to a spectrum of sediment sources, resedimentation processes and controlling factors. Here, new high resolution acoustic data (including EM 302 multi‐beam echo‐sounder and very high resolution seismic) and piston cores document highly diverse and complex morphological features along the north‐western slope of Great Bahama Bank. The recent morphology of the slope is the result of the interplay between depositional and erosive processes that vary through time and along strike. The different sedimentary processes are recorded as a Pleistocene lowstand surface, characterized by many erosional features and a Holocene sedimentary wedge along the upper to middle slope that partially covers the underlying Pleistocene surface. Sedimentary processes during the Holocene are dominated by density cascading flows, which export muddy aragonitic sediment from the platform top towards the slope. Sedimentation rates, however, vary along strike due to platform top morphology combined with the variable strength of the basinal current. Reefs and islands in the Bimini area block off‐bank sediment export, and shoals and tidal deltas from Cat Cay to the south reduce the density cascading processes. Numerous small and large slope failure scars show the instability of the steep slopes of Great Bahama Bank. Bottom currents dominate the lower slope and the basin. Striations and moats are the morphological expressions of current directions, while areas of non‐deposition document strong current and concomitant removal of off‐bank transported sediment along parts of the slope, while the Santaren Drift and the drift on the north‐western edge of Great Bahama Bank act as the depositional locus for the fine‐grained sediments transported in the current.