Connections Between Fluvial To Shallow Marine Environments and Submarine Canyons: Implications For Sediment Transfer To Deep Water

Abstract

The heads of submarine canyons represent a critical link in the transfer of sediment from terrestrial sources to deep basin sinks. Here we report data on grain size, bathymetry, and geochronology from twenty-five modern submarine canyons that suggest this link to be very sensitive to the distance between the canyon head and the shoreline, and, to a lesser extent, wave energy. These data show the width of this zone filters the caliber of sediment delivered into deep water, which has significant implications for understanding sediment budgets and the distribution of reservoir and seal facies.