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The AAPG/Datapages Combined Publications Database

AAPG Bulletin

Abstract


Volume: 69 (1985)

Issue: 2. (February)

First Page: 286

Last Page: 286

Title: Continental Slope Morphology in Northern Gulf of Mexico Mapped with Long-Range (GLORIA) Side-Scan Data: ABSTRACT

Author(s): B. A. McGregor, L. E. Garrison, N. H. Kenyon

Article Type: Meeting abstract

Abstract:

GLORIA II long-range side-scan data provide a mosaic of the continental slope in the northern Gulf of Mexico, seaward of the Texas-Louisiana coast. A swath as wide as 30 km and a 10% overlap of the data between parallel track lines provide a continuous picture of the complex slope morphology, which is largely controlled by salt deformation. Morphologic features range from piercement structures approximately 2 km in diameter to basins as much as 30 km across. The GLORIA data delineate the East Breaks submarine slide, where surface lineations are suggestive of deformation features. High-resolution 10 kHz seismic-reflection profiles indicate that the very irregular surface on the slide has a relief of 10 m. The 3 types of intraslope basins (blocked canyon, interdomal, and co lapse) described by A. H. Bouma can be identified on the GLORIA data. The walls of Gyre basin, an example of a blocked canyon, have what are interpreted to be gullies, which are commonly associated with submarine canyons. Another basin downslope has similar gully-like features on the walls, which suggest that it may have been part of the original canyon system. Although many canyonlike features direct the movement of sediment downslope, the present data show that all conduits end in closed basins. No system of basins can be shown to transport sediment across the entire slope between the Mississippi Canyon and the East Breaks slide. Small-scale slumps, which can be identified on the flanks of some of the diapiric structures, also contribute sediments to basins such as Gyre basin.

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