Sonar acoustic facies and sediment distribution on an area of the deep ocean floor

Long-range sidescan sonar can be used to map sediment distributions over wide expanses of deep ocean floor. Seven acoustic facies that arise from differing sediment or rock types have been mapped over the low-relief Saharan continental rise and Madeira abyssal plain. These have been calibrated with sampling, profiling and camera studies and the facies can be traced confidently on a regional scale using the sidescan data. The mapping of the sediment distribution shows that a complex interplay of turbidity current and debris flow processes can occur at a continental rise/abysaal plain transition over 1000 km from the nearest continental slope.     

The second order characteristic condition for plastic flow

In this paper the second order characteristic (discontinuous bifurcation) condition is derived for the granular flow (fully plastic) equations. This second order bifurcation equation is shown to be formally identical to the first order localization requirement during steady elastoplastic deformation provided the elastic compliance tensor is substituted for the product of the plastic multiplier with the flow Hessian. For isotropic yield and flow functions the invariant form of the characteristic condition is given in detail, as well as an alternative expression in adapted co‐ordinates. The characteristic condition can be regarded as defining a hardening function which is maximized to identify the critical angles. When the method is applied to 3D Coulomb flow, Mohr's 3D fracture plane conditions are obtained uniquely. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experiences with airborne and ground-based polarimetry

Polarimetry in the far-infrared and submillimeter has been valuable in tracing magnetic fields in bright Galactic clouds. We discuss the techniques we have developed and trends we have found in polarization vs column density and wavelength. The polarization spectrum has proven to be more interesting than had been anticipated. It is potentially valuable in explaining grain alignment and in characterizing dust species. One can expect the infrared cirrus to be a much simpler environment than the molecular clouds that have heretofore been explored at multiple wavelengths. Although cirrus observations must deal with low signals and wide extent, it is becoming possible to measure accurately the spectral energy distribution from mid-infrared to microwave frequencies and it should soon become feasible to determine the polarization spectrum over the same range.     

Scaling analysis of deposition from turbidity currents

Many oil-bearing sedimentary deposits are formed by the settling of particles from turbidity currents. Modeling sedimentary processes that form these turbidites enables the calculation of properties such as extent, depth, porosity and permeability of hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs. This paper estimates the extent and thickness of turbidites from the initial conditions of the turbidity flow. This is achieved by the application of scaling analysis of the partial differential equations that govern the dynamics of and deposition from turbidity currents. We apply the results of scaling analysis to five modern submarine fans. The predicted and actual values of the dimensions of the fan deposits match well. We then compare the derived results against tabulated sizes of ancient turbidites. The comparisons are good as long as we correctly identify the flow regimes in which the deposition took place. The good agreements observed in the two cases show that the estimates obtained using scaling analysis can provide useful first-guess values for the dimensions of the deposits.     

Particulate barium fluxes and export production in the northwestern Mediterranean

Biogenic barium, mostly in the barite (BaSO₄) form, has been proposed as a tracer for export production in the ocean. Here we report on biogenic barium (Ba_xs) and particulate organic carbon (POC) fluxes from sediment traps deployed at the DYFAMED site in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Ba_xs fluxes display average values of 37 ± 45 and 50 ± 58 μg/m²/d at 200 and 1000 m respectively, and are linearly correlated to POC fluxes (mean values of 7.9 ± 9.3 and 6.8 ± 6.8 mg C/m²/d at 200 and 1000 m). Export production estimates, calculated using published Ba_xs- or POC-based algorithms, all fall below or close to the lower limit of potential export values proposed in the literature. This work clearly demonstrates the usefulness of Ba_xs as a tracer of oceanic export production in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea. However, development of a quantitative export production proxy requires a clear understanding of the underlying cause(s) for the observed spatial variations in the relationship between Ba_xs and POC fluxes. The present study confirms that the processes leading to barite formation differ between margin and open-ocean sites and probably account for much of the regional variability in the POC/Ba_xs ratio.     

Submarine slope mudstone facies,cozy dell formation (Middle Eocene), California

A 120 m thick section of the Cozy Dell Formation (middle Eocene), southem California, consists of a graylaminated mudstone and a tanungraded mudstone; sandstone beds are associated with the laminated mudstone. Sedimentary structures, stratification sequences, foraminiferal distributions, and composition indicate that the ungraded mudstone is an upper slope hemipelagic deposit, while the laminated mudstone is an overbank deposit associated with shallow channels or gullies in which the sandstone beds were deposited. This depositional setting may be analogous to that of the modern Mississippi River delta front.