Contourites

by Rebesco; Camerlenghi

• ISBN13: 9780444529985
• ISBN10: 0444529985
• Edition: CD
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-12-15
• Publisher: Elsevier Science

Summary

Contourites are sediments deposited or substantially reworked by bottom currents. The study of contourites is nowadays crucial for several fields of fundamental and applied research: palaeoclimatology and paleoceanography, since these fairly continuous and relatively high-resolution sediments hold the key for priceless information on the variability in circulation patter, current velocity, oceanographic history and basin interconnectivity; hydrocarbon exploration, since accumulation of source rocks may be favoured by weak bottom currents, whereas "clean" deep-sea sands may be formed by robust flows; slope stability, since low-permeability fine-grained contourites facilitate the formation of overpressurized gliding planes when fresh contourites with a high pore-water content becomes rapidly loaded, or when their rigid biosiliceous microfabric collapses due to diagenetic conditions. Despite its significance, this group of sediments is poorly known by the majority of nonspecialists. Notwithstanding the growing interest and the intensified research in contourites, a textbook that might also serve as a reference book on contourites was missing until now. This book addresses all aspects of the knowledge in the field of contourites and provides an authorative and comprehensive coverage of the subject. It also can serve as a standard reference work for non-specialists, and in particular postgraduate students, university teachers and lecturers, researchers and professionals who are seeking an authoritative source of information about contourites. * reviews both theoretical topics and case histories * provides practical advice on multidisciplinary research techniques * provides also nonspecialist users with an intuitively-accessible, cross-referenced, and comprehensive coverage of the knowledge in the field. * provides a helpful tool for research in the preparation of classroom lectures

Table of Contents

Contourite Research

Introduction

Personal reminiscences on the history of contourites

Methods for contourite research

Bottom currents

Abyssal and contour currents

Deep-water bottom currents and their deposits

Dynamics of the bottom boundary layer

Processes

Sediment entrainment

Size sorting during transport and deposition of fine sediments: sortable silt and flow speed

The nature of contourite deposition

Sediments

Traction structures in contourites

Bioturbation and biogenic sedimentary structures in contourites

Some aspets of diagenesis in contourites

Contourite facies and the facies model

Morphology, geometry and palaeoceanographic reconstructions

Contourite drifts: nature, evolution and controls

Sediment waves and bedforms

Seismic expression of contourite depositional systems

Identification of ancient contourites: problems and paleoceanographic signifance

Domains

Abyssal plain contourites

Continental slope contourites

Shallow water contourites

Mixed turbidite-contourite systems

High latituted contourites

Importance

Economic relevance of contourites

Paleoceanographic significance of contourite drifts

The significance of contourites for submarine slope stability

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