DYNAMIC STRATIGRAPHY WORKGROUP

Publications and presentations: 

 

Publications:

 

Conference/meeting presentations:

Buttles, J., Fernandes, A., Mohrig, D., 2009, A Physical Model of Submarine Knickpoint Evolution and Erosion Style in a Cohesive Sediment Bed, Second Workshop on the Modeling of Turbidity Currents and Related Gravity Currents, UCSB, Santa Barbara.

 

 

People:

Anjali Fernandes, David Mohrig, Jim Buttles

Research question(s):

What are the controls on the style of evolution of erosional steps within submarine canyons?

Knick-point erosion by turbidity currents

Summary of work:

This project uses observations from physical experiments in the UTML Basin Tank to:

a) Predict morphology of knick-points (curvature, step height, scour-hole morphology) in submarine canyons based on flow thickness relative to step height and densimetric Froude number of the flow; and

b) Predict mechanisms of knick-point erosion by turbidity currents that are thick or thin relative to step height, and currents that are Froude supercritical or subcritical.

c) the model will finally be applied to nick-points in the Monterey Canyon to test predictions of current thicknesses and properties against available data from other sources.

This laser-generated dip-section shows the gradual evolution of the original sub-aqueous knick-point (black line) with 5 successive experimental density currents. Flow direction was from left to right.