Abyssal fans, also known as deep-sea fans, underwater deltas, and submarine fans, are underwater geological structures associated with large-scale

sediment deposition Deposition is the geological process in which sediments, soil and rocks are added to a landform or landmass. Wind, ice, water, and gravity transport previously weathered surface material, which, at the loss of enough kinetic energy in the flui ...

and formed by

turbidity current A turbidity current is most typically an underwater current of usually rapidly moving, sediment-laden water moving down a slope; although current research (2018) indicates that water-saturated sediment may be the primary actor in the process. T ...

s. They can be thought of as an underwater version of

alluvial fans An alluvial fan is an accumulation of sediments that fans outwards from a concentrated source of sediments, such as a narrow canyon emerging from an escarpment. They are characteristic of mountainous terrain in arid to semiarid climates, but a ...

and can vary dramatically in size, with widths from several kilometres to several thousands of kilometres The largest is the

Bengal Fan The Bengal Fan, also known as the Ganges Fan, is the largest submarine fan on Earth. Geography It is located in Eurasia, being about long, wide with a maximum thickness of . The fan resulted from the uplift and erosion of the Himalayas and th ...

, followed by the Indus Fan, but major fans are also found at the outlet of the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology co ...

, Congo,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Missis ...

and elsewhere.

Formation

Abyssal (or submarine) fans are formed from turbidity currents. These currents begin when a geologic activity pushes sediments over the edge of a continental shelf and down the

continental slope A continental margin is the outer edge of continental crust abutting oceanic crust under coastal waters. It is one of the three major zones of the ocean floor, the other two being deep-ocean basins and mid-ocean ridges. The continental margin ...

, creating an underwater landslide. A dense slurry of

muds A MUD (; originally multi-user dungeon, with later variants multi-user dimension and multi-user domain) is a Multiplayer video game, multiplayer Time-keeping systems in games#Real-time, real-time virtual world, usually Text-based game, text-bas ...

and

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...

s speeds towards the foot of the slope, until the current slows. The decreasing current, having a reduced ability to transport sediments, deposits the grains it carries, thus creating a submarine fan. The slurry continues to slow as it is moved towards the

continental rise The continental rise is a low-relief zone of accumulated sediments that lies between the continental slope and the abyssal plain. It is a major part of the continental margin, covering around 10% of the ocean floor. Formation This geologic str ...

until it reaches the ocean bed. Thus results a series of graded sediments of sand, silt and mud, which are known as

turbidites A turbidite is the geologic deposit of a turbidity current, which is a type of amalgamation of fluidal and sediment gravity flow responsible for distributing vast amounts of clastic sediment into the deep ocean. Sequencing Turbidites were ...

, as described by the

Bouma sequence 300px, thumbnail, Turbidite from the Devonian-age Becke-Oese Sandstone">Devonian.html" ;"title="Turbidite from the Devonian">Turbidite from the Devonian-age Becke-Oese Sandstone, Germany showing a complete Bouma sequence. The Bouma Sequence (afte ...

References

Sources

* * * Allen, Philip & Allen, John, 2005. Basin Analysis: Principles and Applications. 2nd ed. Blackwell. {{physical oceanography, expanded=other Abyssal fan Coastal and oceanic landforms

Formation

See also

References

Sources