A comparative study of 10 deep turbidite basins indicates that sand-layer thickness, frequency, and continuity can be related to their basin geometries, tectonics, and source areas. This study is based on piston-core data from the flat floors of four oceanic-crust abyssal plains (Sohm, Hatteras, Blake-Bahama, and Silver), two Bahama-Plateau reentrant basins (Columbus basin and Tongue of the Ocean), three subduction zone--island arc basins (Hispaniola-Caicos, Navidad, and St. Croix basins), and one continental-borderland basin (Santa Monica basin).

With increasing tectonic activity, sand layers on flat basin floors tend to be thinner and more frequent. Except in elongated narrow basins such as Navidad, source-area size is directly related to proximal sand-layer thickness. Continuity of individual sand layers is a function of drainage-basin size and depositional-basin shape. For example, on the Hatteras Abyssal Plain long-distance continuity (up to 500 km) of individual sand layers is achieved because most of the turbidites are large and are introduced only at the north "upstream" end. In the small horseshoe-shaped Columbus basin, sand-layer continuity is limited because flows are small and are introduced from three sides. In most basins, sands thin and the percentage of sand layers in the sediment column decreases away from sour e areas. However, in basins that are small relative to the typical turbidity-current size (e.g., Hispaniola-Caicos basin), the differences between basin-edge and basin-center sand layers are slight.