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Mechanics of deposition of fine-grained sediments from nepheloid layers

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Abstract

The ways by which fine sediment may reach the sea bed are examined, and it is shown that gravitational settling through the sublayer dominates over both Brownian diffusion and scavenging by large fast-sinking particles. The settling process is modulated by bed shear stress, which provides a mechanism for preventing deposition of the finest sizes. This allows fractionation during deposition of suspended sediment and may control the amount of silt in a deposit. In contrast, the amount of sand may be controlled by time-winnowing involving removal of the silt and clay fractions.

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References

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Author notes

  1. I. Nicholas McCave

    Present address: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EQ, Cambridge, U.K.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, NR4 7TJ, Norwich, United Kingdom

    I. Nicholas McCave

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  1. I. Nicholas McCave
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Nicholas McCave, I. Mechanics of deposition of fine-grained sediments from nepheloid layers. Geo-Marine Letters 4, 243–245 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02281713

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02281713

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