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Large-scale mesotopographic bedforms from the Albian Black Flysch, northern Spain: characterization, setting and comparison with recent analogues

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Atlas of Deep Water Environments

Abstract

Three-dimensional exposures in the Albian Black Flysch, northern Spain, permit the recognition of mesotopographic-scale erosional and depositional bedforms, visible in plan view, transverse and longitudinal profiles relative to mean palaeocurrent direction. The scale of these features corresponds with the smallest resolvable structures described from modern submarine fans using deep-tow imaging. Large-scale erosional features are represented by spoon-shaped depressions (flute-like), transverse step-like features and irregular ponded depressions caused by complex erosional mesotopography. Large-scale depositional bedforms are characterized by smooth depositional mesotopography which resembles sand and gravel wave-like bedforms, commonly showing a hummock-like geometry. Also, slightly asymmetric wave-like bedforms are recognized. Both sets of features are documented from ancient channel-fill deposits and channel-lobe transition deposits. This contribution describes these set bedforms in the context of modern and other ancient turbidite deposits, providing a predictive basis for the interpretation of such features in the ancient record.

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K. T. Pickering R. N. Hiscott N. H. Kenyon F. Ricci Lucchi R. D. A. Smith

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© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Bravo, J.C.V., Robles, S. (1995). Large-scale mesotopographic bedforms from the Albian Black Flysch, northern Spain: characterization, setting and comparison with recent analogues. 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_32

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1234-5_32

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4539-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-1234-5

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