Abstract
Graded sand-to-mud beds are a common shelf facies in the rock record. Similar beds were studied in nine cores from the sandmud transition at the edge of Emerald Basin to determine their frequency and mode of origin. Graded sand-to-mud beds 5 to 20 cm thick can be correlated between cores and thicken basinwards, with average sand content decreasing from 60% to 5% over 7 km. European weed pollen distribution indicates only the top bed is less than 200 years old. The graded beds were deposited from suspension during storms with a several hundred year recurrence interval.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Reineck, H. E., and Singh, I. B., 1975. Depositional Sedimentary Environments, Springer-Verlag, New York, 439 p.
Cant, D. J., 1980. Storm-dominated, shallow marine sediments of the Arisaig Group (Silurian-Devonian) of Nova Scotia. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 17, p. 120–131.
Reineck, H. E., 1963. Sedimentgefüge in Bereich der südlichen Nordsee. Abhandlungen der Senkenbergische naturforschende Gesellschaft, No. 505, 138 p.
Hayes, M. O., 1967. Hurricanes as geological agents, south Texas coast. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 51, p. 937–942.
King, L. H., 1967. Use of a conventional echo sounder and textural analysis in delineating sedimentary facies, Scotian Shelf, Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 4, p. 691–708.
James, N. P., and Stanley, D. J., 1968. Sable Island Bank off Nova Scotia: sediment dispersion and recent history. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin v. 52, p. 2208–2230.
Petrie, B., and Smith, P. C., 1977. Low frequency motions on the Scotian Shelf and Slope. Atmosphere, v. 15, p. 117–126.
King, L. H., 1970. Surficial geology of the Halifax-Sable Island map area. Marine Sciences Branch, Paper No. 1, Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, Ottawa, 16 p.
Grant, A. B., and Reiniger, R. F., 1970. Current meter and thermograph observations on the Scotian Shelf-1967. Atlantic Oceanographic Laboratory Data Series, 1970-9-D, Dartmouth, N.S. 237 p.
Lively, R. R., 1979. Current meter and meteorological observations on the Scotian Shelf, December 1975, to January 1978. Bedford Institute of Oceanography Data Series, BI-D-79-1, Dartmouth, N.S. 358 p.
Schafer, C. T., and Mudie, P. J., 1980. Spatial variability of foraminifera and pollen in two nearshore sediment sites, St. Georges Bay, Nova Scotia, Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 17, p. 313–324.
Middleton, G. V., 1976. Hydraulic interpretation of, sand size distributions. Journal of Geology, 84, 405–426.
Bagnold, R. A., 1966. An approach to the sediment transport problem from general physics. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 422-I, 37 p.
McCave, I. N., and Swift, S. A., 1976. A physical model for the rate of deposition of fine-grained sediments in the deep sea. Geological Society of America Bulletin. v. 87, p. 541–546.
Komar, P. D., 1980 Modes of sediment transportation in channelized water flows with ramifications to the erosion of the Martian outflow channels. Icarus, v. 42, p. 317–329.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kontopoulos, N., Piper, D.J.W. Storm graded sand at 200 m water depth, Scotian Shelf, Eastern Canada. Geo-Marine Letters 2, 77–81 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02462804
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02462804