Bührig, LH, Colombera, L orcid.org/0000-0001-9116-1800, Patacci, M et al. (2 more authors) (2022) Tectonic Influence on the Geomorphology of Submarine Canyons: Implications for Deep-Water Sedimentary Systems. Frontiers in Earth Science, 10. 836823. ISSN 2296-6463
Abstract
A database-informed metastudy of 294 globally distributed submarine canyons has been conducted with the aim of elucidating the role of tectonic setting on submarine-canyon geomorphology. To achieve this, data from seafloor and subsurface studies derived from 136 peer-reviewed publications and from open-source worldwide bathymetry datasets have been statistically analyzed. In particular, relationships between margin type (active vs. passive) or plate-boundary type (convergent vs. transform vs. complex) have been assessed for key morphometric parameters of submarine canyons, including: streamwise length, maximum and average width and depth, canyon sinuosity, average canyon thalweg gradient, and maximum canyon sidewall steepness. In addition, possible scaling relationships between canyon morphometric parameters and characteristics of the associated terrestrial catchment, continental shelf and slope, and of the broader physiographic setting for canyons along both active and passive margins have been evaluated. The following principal findings arise: 1) overall canyon geomorphology is not markedly different across tectonic settings; 2) slope failure might be more important in passive-margin canyons compared to active ones, possibly due to seismic strengthening in the latter; 3) some aspects of canyon geomorphology scale with attributes of the source-to-sink system and environmental setting, but the strength and sign in scaling might differ between active and passive margins, suggesting that the extent to which canyon geomorphology can be predicted depends on the tectonic setting. Insights from our analysis augment and improve conceptual, experimental and numerical models of slope systems at the scale of individual canyons and source-to-sink systems, and increase our understanding of the complex role played by tectonic setting in shaping deep-water systems.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 Bührig, Colombera, Patacci, Mountney and McCaffrey. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
Keywords: | global, quantitative analysis, geometry, scaling relationships, source-to-sink, active margin, passive margin |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Institute for Applied Geosciences (IAG) (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number Nexen Petroleum UK Ltd Not Known NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) NE/P01691X/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 19 Oct 2022 13:38 |
Last Modified: | 19 Oct 2022 13:38 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Frontiers |
Identification Number: | 10.3389/feart.2022.836823 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:191698 |