Submarine Canyons

Question 1

submarine canyons

Answer 1

connects the continental shelf to the continental rise, conduits for sediments

Question 2

continental slope in relation to submarine canyons

Answer 2

often incised by submarine canyons, conduits for sediments from shelf to rise

Question 3

shelf-origin canyons vs slope-origin canyons

Answer 3

shelf-origin canyons are usually formed by rivers eroding during periods of lower sea levels and slope-origin canyons are formed by mass transport or turbidity currents

Question 4

how are sediments transported from the shelf to the deep sea?

Answer 4

transported via submarine canyons or slumping of unstable slope sediments and deposited as submarine fans or turbidites on the continental rise

Question 5

bulk emplacement

Answer 5

mass deposition in a short time period on the continental rise

Question 6

submarine fans

Answer 6

accumulation of sediment on the seafloor in a fan shape, with the apex at the mouth of the canyon

Question 7

slumps and scarps

Answer 7

underwater landslide, mass of sediment from the canyon wall slides down, caused by seismic activity or unstable sediment

Question 8

turbidity flows

Answer 8

dense slurry of water and sediment, short-lived, typically flows through canyon, accumulation is a turbidite

Question 9

turbidite

Answer 9

a type of graded bed, big sediment settles first, then fine sediment. high energy transport