Sediment transport on the shelf margin of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland

A thin cover of sand and gravel, formed during the early Holocene transgression, covers the northeastern Grand Banks of Newfoundland in water depths of between 70 and 130 m. The sediments are presently being reworked but only during the winter months of higher wave activity. Sediment threshold under...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Atlantic Geology
Main Authors: Barrie, J. V., Collins, M. B.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Atlantic Geoscience Society 1989
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/ag/article/view/1681
Description
Summary:A thin cover of sand and gravel, formed during the early Holocene transgression, covers the northeastern Grand Banks of Newfoundland in water depths of between 70 and 130 m. The sediments are presently being reworked but only during the winter months of higher wave activity. Sediment threshold under waves in 70 m water depth is exceeded over 30% of the time during the months of November to March. Net sediment transport is towards the south-southeast, parallel to the bathymctric contours. Currents required to generate the larger bedforms are known to occur only infrequently. Hence, combined wave and steady flow, often in the same direction, are the probable generating mechanism for the bedforms. RÉSUMÉ Une pellicule de sable et de gravier, formée lors de la transgression du début de 1'Holocene, recouvre le nord-est du Grand Banc de Terre-Nruve à une bathymétric de 70 à 130 m. Les sédiments sont actuellement remaniés quoique seulement durant les mois d'hiver alors que l’action des vagues est plus intense. Le seuil de prise en charge du sédiment par les vagues à une profondeur de 70 m, est dépassé pendant plus de 30% du temps durant les mois allant de novembre à mars. Le transit sédimentaire net s'effectue vers le sud-sud-est, parallèlement aux tignes d'isobathymétrie. Les courants requis pour éngendrer les formés de litage plus imposantes ne surviennent qu'infréquemment. Par conséquent, la combinaison des vagues et d'un courant soutenu constitue probablement le mécanisme engendrant ces formes de litage. [Traduit par le journal]