--> Abstract: First-Order Morphology of Modern Clastic Deep-Water Systems, by Damian O'Grady; #90078 (2008)

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First-Order Morphology of Modern Clastic Deep-Water Systems

Damian O'Grady
ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, Houston, TX

On passive margins the continental slope is dominantly shaped by erosion and deposition from sediment gravity flows rather than tectonic movements. Sediment gravity flows respond to existing sea-floor gradients but also modify gradient through successive erosion and deposition. Therefore the gradients and profile geometries of slope systems (whether in modern settings or derived from seismic data for ancient settings) have the ability to inform us about the dynamics of sediment delivery of individual deep-water systems.

When viewed on a first-order scale, the gradients and large-scale profile shape of modern, passive-margin, deep-water systems can vary considerably from system to system. These variations in gradient and shape can be grouped into end-members morphologies and linked to the dominance of external controls such as sediment input and basin depth. Slope morphology changes not only from system to system, but also through geologic time in response to changes in external controls (i.e. changes in sediment supply, basin depth), or through “morphodynamic” feedbacks of the slope itself. Numerical models and large-scale stratal patterns in seismic show examples of the morphodynamic behavior of the slope system.

 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90078©2008 AAPG Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas