Abstract
The elongate Rhône Fan is the largest turbidite system in the western Mediterranean and contains an elevated channel-levee system which constitutes the fan valley (Droz and Bellaiche 1985). Unique to modern submarine systems, both the Rhône fan-valley and an inner thalweg channel have arcuate, scallop- or cuspate-shaped morphology (Fig. 13.1), a morphology which is best developed in the modern thalweg channel (O’Connell et al. 1991). Between 1650 and 2200 m below sea level (mbs1) this channel and the surrounding fan-valley were investigated with a deep-towed, high-resolution side-looking sonar and a 4.5 kHz sub-bottom profiler (SeaMARC I; Fig. 13.2). Some of these images (Fig. 13.3), which provide information on the scale of a few tens of metres, are presented, and their implications for fan processes are discussed. Details of the acquisition of the data presented here are given in O’Connell et al. (1991).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bellaiche, G., Orsolini P., Petit-Perrin, B., Berthon, J.L., Ravenne, C., Coutellier, V., Droz, L., Aloisi, J.C., Got, H., Mear, Y., Monaco, A., Auzende, J.M., Beuzart, P. and Monti, S. 1983. Morphologie au sea-beam de l’éventail sous-marine profond de Rhône (Rhône deep-sea fan) et de son canyon afferent. Comptes Rendus de l’Academie des Sciences, Pans, 296, 579–583.
Bellaiche, G. and Droz, L. 1989. Morphology, sedimentary structure and evolution of continental rise of western Provencal Basin (Mediterranean Sea). International Geological Congress (abst), pp. 1-115.
Bryant, W., Wetzel, A., Taylor, E. and Sweet, W. 1986. Consolidation characteristics and permeability of Mississippi Fan sediments. In: Bouma, A.H., Coleman, J.M., Meyer, A.W., et al. (eds) Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project, United States Government Printing Office, Washington, 96, pp. 797–810.
Coutellier, V., Bellaiche, G., Droz, L and Mear Y. 1984. La pente continentale du Golfe du Lion et l’eventail sousmarine profond du Rhône. Cartographie des facies acoustiques obtenus par sondage 3.5 kHz. Comptes Rendus de l’Academie des Sciences, Paris, 299, 717–720.
Droz, L. and Bellaiche, G. 1985. The Rhône deep-sea fan: morphostructure and main growth pattern. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 69, 460–479.
Embly, R.W., Eittreim, S.L, McHugh, C.H., Normark, W.R., Rau, G.H., Hecker, B., Debevooise, A.E., Greene, H.G., Ryan, W.B.F., Harold, C. and Baxter, C. 1990. Geological setting of chemosynthetic communities in the Monterey fan-valley system. Deep-Sea Research, 37, 1651–1667.
Matter, A., Douglas, R.G. and Perch-Nielsen, K. 1975. Fossil preservation, geochemistry, and diagenesis of pelagic carbonates from Shatsky Rise, Northwest Pacific. In: Larson, R.L. and Moberly, R. (eds) Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project, United States Government Printing Office, Washington, 32, pp. 891–921.
Mear, J. 1984. Sequences et unitess sedimentaires du glacis rhodanien (Mediterranee Occidentale). PhD thesis, University of Perpigan, Perpigan, France.
O’Connell, S., Normark, W.R., Ryan, W.B.F. and Kenyon, N.H. 1991. An entrenched thalweg channel on the Rhône Fan: interpretation from a SeaBeam and SeaMARC I Survey. In: Osborn, R.H. (ed.) From Shoreline to Abyss: Contributions in marine geology in honour of Francis Parker Shepard, Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM) Special Publication, No. 46, Tulsa, OK, pp. 259-270.
Ryan, W.B.F., Hsu, K.J., et al. 1973-Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project, United States Government Printing Office, Washington, 13, 514 pp.
Schlanger, S.O. and Douglas, R.G. 1974. The pelagic ooze-chalk-limestone transition and its implications for marine stratigraphy. In: Hsu, K.J. and Jenkyns, H.C. (eds) Pelagic Sediments: On land and under the sea, International Association of Sedimentologists, Special Publication No. 1, pp. 117-148.
Schumm, S.A., Harvey, M.D. and Watson, C.C. 1984. Incised Channels: morphology, dynamics and control. Water Resources Publication, Littleton, CO.
Sharp, R.P. and Malin, M.C. 1975. Channels on Mars. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 86, 593–609.
Tanaka, K.L. and MacKinnon, D.J. 1987. Development of the Chryse hydrologic system, Mars (abst). lunar and Planetary Science Institute, XVm, pp. 996–997.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
O’Connell, S., McHugh, C., Ryan, W.B.F. (1995). Unique fan morphology in an entrenched thalweg channel on the Rhône Fan. In: Pickering, K.T., Hiscott, R.N., Kenyon, N.H., Ricci Lucchi, F., Smith, R.D.A. (eds) Atlas of Deep Water Environments. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1234-5_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1234-5_14
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4539-1
Online ISBN: 978-94-011-1234-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive