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Subaqueous Fan

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Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms

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Definition

Densely channelized distributary systems fed by turbidity currents flowing down underwater channels (Metz et al. 2009).

Synonyms

Sublacustrine fan; Submarine fan

Morphometry

Modern terrestrial examples are up to several tens of km wide and over 1,000 m deep (Nichols 2009, p. 251 and references therein).

Formation

Submarine fans form by sediment transportation from rivers in the form of turbidity flows (Nichols 2009, p. 252).

Surface/Structural Units (Nichols 2009, p. 251)

  1. (1)

    Submarine fan channels that may have levees associated with them. They may incise into or pass distally into depositional lobes.

  2. (2)

    Depositional lobes: slightly convex, broad sediment bodies formed at the distal end of channels where turbidity currents spread out. One individual lobe may represent multiple events of deposition. This progradation continues until channel avulses.

  3. (3)

    Submarine channel levee, formed in the distal part of the channel, where fine-grained turbidity flow may spill out of the...

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References

  • Dromart G, Quantin C, Broucke O (2007) Stratigraphic architectures spotted in southern Melas Chasma, Valles Marineris, Mars. Geology 35:343–366

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  • Flood RD, Manley PL, Kowsmann RO, Appi CA, Pirmez C (1991) Seismic facies and late Quaternary growth of Amazon submarine fan. In: Weimer P, Link MH (eds) Seismic facies and sedimentary processes of modern and ancient submarine fans. Springer, New York, pp 415–433

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  • Metz JM, Grotzinger JP, Mohrig D, Milliken R, Prather B, Pirmez C, McEwen AS, Weitz CM (2009) Sublacustrine depositional fans in southwest Melas Chasma. J Geophys Res 114:E10002. doi:10.1029/2009JE003365

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  • Nichols G (2009) Sedimentology and stratigraphy, 2nd edn. Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester

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  • Quantin C, Allemand P, Mangold N, Dromart G, Delacourt C (2005) Fluvial and lacustrine activity on layered deposits in Melas Chasma, Valles Marineris, Mars. J Geophys Res 110:E12S19. doi:10.1029/2005JE002440

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  • Weitz CM, Parker TJ, Bulmer MH, Anderson FS, Grant JA (2003) Geology of the Melas Chasma landing site for the Mars Exploration Rover mission. J Geophys Res 108(E12):8082. doi:10.1029/2002JE002022

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Planetary Science Research Group, Eötvös Loránd University, Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Budapest, Hungary

    Henrik Hargitai

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  1. Henrik Hargitai
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Correspondence to Henrik Hargitai .

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Hargitai, H. (2014). Subaqueous Fan. In: Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_591-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_591-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-9213-9

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