The last glacial maximum Balearic Abyssal Plain megabed revisited

Cattaneo, Antonio; Badhani, Shray; Caradonna, Cristina; Bellucci, Massimo; Leroux, Estelle; Babonneau, Nathalie; Garziglia, Sébastien; Poort, Jeffrey; Akhmanov, Grigorii G.; Bayon, Germain; Dennielou, Bernard; Jouet, Gwenael; Migeon, Sebastien; Rabineau, Marina; Droz, Laurence; Clare, Michael ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1448-3878. 2020 The last glacial maximum Balearic Abyssal Plain megabed revisited. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 500. 341-357. 10.1144/SP500-2019-188

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1144/SP500-2019-188

Abstract/Summary

Megabeds are thick sedimentary layers extending over thousands square kilometres in deep sea basins and are thought to result from large slope failures triggered by major external events. Such deposits have been found in at least three areas of the Mediterranean Sea. Although their discovery dates back to the early 1980s, many questions remain, concerning their initiation, source area, extent, and the nature of their emplacement. One of the largest previously documented megabeds was emplaced during the Last Glacial Maximum across the Balearic Abyssal Plain with a thickness of 8-10 m in water depths of up to 2800 m. New 3.5 kHz sub-bottom profiles and sediment cores provide greater constraint on the lateral variability of the megabed and allow to map it beyond previous estimates, with a revised areal extent up to 90,000-100,000 km2. Megabed terminations show gradual pinch-out to the West and an abrupt eastward termination against the Sardinia steep margin. The megabed presents both in seismic profiles and in sediment cores a tripartite subdivision likely corresponding to changes in flow regimes across the basin with a central area of sandy facies and erosional base oriented NNE-SSW allowing renewed discussions about sources and trigger of the megabed.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1144/SP500-2019-188
ISSN:	0305-8719
Date made live:	26 Apr 2020 14:05 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/527384

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

10.1144/SP500-2019-188

ISSN:

0305-8719

Date made live:

26 Apr 2020 14:05 +0 (UTC)

URI:

https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/527384