The contourite drifts of the Pacific Margin of the Antarctic Peninsula: a review

• Michele Rebesco ^[1] ; Angelo Camerlenghi ^[2]
  1. [1] National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics

     National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics

     Trieste, Italia

     
  2. [2] Istitució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, (ICREA)
• Localización: Geotemas (Madrid), ISSN 1576-5172, Nº. 11, 2010 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Deep-Water Circulation: Processes & Products. International Congress. Baitona, Pontevedra, Spain. 16 & 17 June 2010), págs. 145-146
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The case history of contourite drift 7 and of the other contourite drifts of the Pacific Margin of the Antarctic Peninsula is reviewed considering the various types of data available (including swath bathymetry, multichannel seismic, sub-bottom profiles, cores, drillsites, moorings). The complex morphology reflects the co-existence of various sedimentary processes. The data suggest that Drift 7 is a genuine sediment drift in which bottom currents pirate the sediment of the turbidity currents. The studies confirm what is obvious but often oversight: a reliable understanding of the deep-sea processes may come only from complementary datasets and multidisciplinary approaches. An accurate examination of the geometry and morphology of deep sea deposits may assist the assessment of the relative importance of bottom and turbidity currents. The bottom current processes controlling the deposition of drift 7 appear to privilege deposition on the upstream side and non-deposition/erosion on the downstream side. The Coriolis force appears to have a crucial influence for location and geometry of the deep sea deposits. The understanding of contourite system behaviour and of the interaction of down-andalong-slope processes that may be gained from well studied examples may be relevant for paleoclimatic studie sand for oil-exploration.