How do tectonics influence the initiation and evolution of submarine canyons? A case study from the Otway Basin, SE Australia ...
Abstract: The architecture of canyon-fills can provide a valuable record of the link between tectonics, sedimentation, and depositional processes in submarine settings. In this study, we investigate the role of plate tectonics in the initiation and evolution of submarine canyons. We demonstrate that...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | unknown |
| Published: |
Geological Society of London
2022
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| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5937760 https://geolsoc.figshare.com/collections/How_do_tectonics_influence_the_initiation_and_evolution_of_submarine_canyons_A_case_study_from_the_Otway_Basin_SE_Australia/5937760 |
| Summary: | Abstract: The architecture of canyon-fills can provide a valuable record of the link between tectonics, sedimentation, and depositional processes in submarine settings. In this study, we investigate the role of plate tectonics in the initiation and evolution of submarine canyons. We demonstrate that plate tectonic-scale events (i.e. continental breakup and shortening) have a first-order influence on submarine canyon initiation and development. Initially, the Late Cretaceous ( c. 65 Ma) separation of Australia and Antarctica resulted in extensional fault systems, which then formed a steep stair-shaped paleo-seabed. Subsequently, the Late Miocene ( c. 5 Ma) collision of Australia and Eurasia has resulted in substantial uplift and exhumation in the SE Australian continental margin. These tectonic events have resulted in elevated seismicity that ultimately gave rise to the gravity-driven processes (i.e. turbidity currents and mass wasting processes) and formed the canyon base. The inherited stair-shaped ... |
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