stream driven high density gravelly traction carpets possible deposits in the trabeg conglomerate formation sw ireland and some theoretical considerations of their origin within high density flood flows a prominent mechanism of gravel transport and deposition is by stream driven high density traction carpet with a rheology similar to grain flow these gravel carpets are envisaged to form the basal portion of a bipartite high density flood flow decoupled from an overlying sand and silt laden turbulent flow several examples already documented in the literature are reviewed and an additional case from the lower old red sandstone of southwest ireland is presented two mechanisms of traction carpet initiation are discussed by rapid entrainment of gravel into suspension on rising stage followed by settling into the gravel traction carpet at peak and falling stage and by overconcentration of a normal low density bedload gravel entrainment suspension and traction carpet development are significantly easier if the flood water already carries a high concentration of sand and silt in suspension theoretical consideration further shows that gravelly traction carpets can be maintained in channels of relatively low gradient by the shear stress exerted by the high density sand bearing turbulent flood flow above this tangential shear stress is converted to dispersive pressure which aids buoyancy and quasi static grain to grain contacts in the support of the clasts within the gravel carpet the carpet is thought to have a quasi plastic rheology but behave much like a viscous fluid at high shear rates stream driven gravelly traction carpets are expected to produce sheet like units of clast to matrix supported conglomerate characterized by a parallel or an a p a i clast fabric these units may be ungraded normally or inversely graded depending on the rate of shear the viscosity of the flow and the celerity of deposition

progradational gravel beach sequences in a moderate to high energy microtidal marine environment the anatomy of progradational gravel beaches was analysed in two different tectonic settings the strongly subsiding messinian foreland basin of the eastern southern alps and the rising pleistocene marine terraces of the outer margin of the apenninic chain progradation took place near the mouths of fan delta or braid delta distributaries debouching in microtidal landlocked basins palaeo adriatic and palaeo ionian seas a wind wave climate comparable to that of the present day was characterized by periodic intense storm activity most of the beachface progradation is thought to have taken place during the post storm recovery and fair weather stages whereas the impact of storms is mostly recorded by the cutting of erosional surfaces on the beachface and by emplacement of poorly sorted and coarse grained gravels on the shoreface by storm intensified seaward trending flows and behind the highest berms by washover processes analysis of the sequences led to the identification of a number of typical divisions which are differently developed in the two settings compared here the characteristics of the apenninic sequences suggest a strongly variable wind wave climate with periodic changes from a relatively dissipative barred morphology during storms accompanied by strong longshore currents and rip development to a more reflective state typical of recovery and fair weather stages the southern alpine sequences on the other hand are characterized by poor evidence of barred morphology and of longshore currents and widespread effects of shear and gravity sorting in the lower beachface gravels these features indicate a comparatively more reflective average state due to location of beaches along the deeply embayed head of the palaeo adriatic and the very narrow directional width of the incoming wave spectrum which was almost shore normal most of the time in addition to well developed shape zonation of gravels the common presence of wave generated gravel megaripples in the southern alpine sequences indicates the greater influence of long period waves due to the greater available fetch distances in both settings the cyclicity is thought to be genetically related to minor changes of sea level

revision of the early middle pleistocene calcareous nannofossil biochronology 1 75 0 85 ma the extant nannofossil biostratigraphic and biochronologic framework for the early middle pleistocene time interval has been tested through the micropaleontological analysis of globally distributed high quality low to mid latitude deep sea successions the quantitative temporal distribution patterns of relative abundances of selected taxa were reconstructed in critical intervals and the following biohorizons were defined first occurrence of medium sized gephyrocapsa spp last occurrence of calcidiscus macintyrei first occurrence of large gephyrocapsa spp last occurrence of large gephyrocapsa spp first occurrence of reticulofenestra asanoi re entrance of medium sized gephyrocapsa spp and last occurrence of reticulofenestra asanoi the detailed patterns of abundance change at these biohorizons were used to generate a detailed biostratigraphy and the biostratigraphic data were transformed into a precise biochronology by means of correlation to isotope stratigraphies and astronomical timescales the degree of isochrony or diachrony of the biohorizons was evaluated biohorizons and are isochronous occurring close to marine isotope stages mis 55 and mis 22 respectively and and are slightly diachronous on the order of 30 40 kyr whereas biohorizons and are confirmed as diachronous on the order of 100 80 and 60 kyr respectively some of the events are clearly controlled by environmental conditions e g the last occurrence of r asanoi related to significant environmental changes associated with the first large amplitude glaciation of the late quaternary mis 22

progradational sequences in miocene shoreline deposits southeastern caliente range california abstract an exceptionally well exposed marine nonmarine transition in middle miocene strata exists in the southeastern caliente range california about 50 individual progradational sequences form a succession that ranges in thickness from approximately 1000 m where predominantly nonmarine to more than 2500 m where predominantly marine paleogeographic evidence in basalt flows near the top of the succession and in overlying fluvial deposits indicates that these middle miocene strata were deposited across a north northwest trending shoreline a complete progradational sequence typically is several meters to a few tens of meters thick and includes strata that represent three intertonguing stratigraphic units individual sequences generally rest on a thin gravel deposit interpreted as a transgressive lag on an erosional surface the gravel is overlain by structureless siltstone or fine grained sandstone deposited at water depths where the rate of faunal mixing exceeded that of production of structures by physical processes these rocks grade upward into bedded fine sandstone deposited closer to shore where physical processes exceeded bioturbation crossbedded lenses of coarse sand or fine gravel in the upper part of this facies suggest the presence of fairly long period surface waves the bedded fine sandstone is sharply ove lain by a cross bedded coarse sandstone facies that is interpreted as a combined offshore bar rip channel surf zone assemblage cross strata dip dominantly offshore suggesting substantial deposition from rip currents a secondary shoreparallel mode of cross strata direction suggests longshore currents produced by surface waves from the northwest the crossbedded coarse grained sandstone grades upward into planar bedded medium grained sandstone that is interpreted as a beach foreshore this facies grades upward through structureless medium grained sandstone into nonmarine or lagoonal red and green mudstone of the caliente formation the middle miocene succession was deposited in a subsiding basin that was otherwise remarkably stable tectonically the position of the strand line differed no more than a few kilometers through a period of 1 to 3 m y the average duration of the transgressive regressive cycles a few tens of thousands of years together with their distribution in groups of three or four in the lower two thirds of the succession is consistent with the pattern of long term climatic cycles produced by periodicity of the earth s solar orbit and may be related to eustatic sea level changes attendant to the development of the antarctic ice cap changes in the pattern of progradation in the upper part of the succession and nearby basaltic eruptions may have been precursors to the onset of movement along th san andreas fault in this area 12 14 m y ago

effect of water on olivine wadsleyite phase boundary in the mg fe 2sio4 system 1 the phase boundary between san carlos olivine and its high pressure phase wadsleyite have been studied comparatively in dry and water saturated condition by comparing saturated and dry samples from the same experimental run we determine that both boundaries of the two phase coexisting loop shift towards lower pressure or lower iron content and the pressure width of the loop decreases to 0 3 gpa under saturated conditions at 1473 k thus the presence of water in the earth s mantle will sharpen the 410 kilometer seismic discontinuity shallow the depth of the discontinuity and reduce the velocity jump across the discontinuity

distribution of palynomorphs in marine sediments a record for seasonal wind patterns over nw africa and adjacent atlantic the climatic gradient in nw africa is reflected in the vegetation by a series of distinct vegetation zones pollen and spores from this area are transported to the atlantic mainly by the trades and the african easterly jet saharan air layer seven pollen assemblages have been defined in recent surface sediments from the eastern atlantic offshore nw africa and their distribution in the marine sediments can be explained by their provenance the timing of pollen release and pollen transport and the major transport systems winds effective at that moment of the year in this way the distribution of selected assemblages and taxa trace the positioning of the major wind belts

reconstruction of paleo wave conditions during the late pleistocene from marine terrace deposits monterey bay california the santa cruz coastal terrace fringes much of the northern monterey bay region california it consists mainly of a regressive sequence of high energy barred nearshore marine sediments deposited during the last sangamonian highstand of sea level this sequence can be sub divided into several depth dependent facies on the basis of paleo current data and vertical sequence of sedimentary structures these include a lower shoreface facies deposited in 10 16 m water depth an upper shoreface facies including both a storm dominated assemblage and a surf zone assemblage deposited in 0 10 m water depth and a foreshore facies deposited in the swash zone up to 3 5 m above high tide the magnitudes of the storm events responsible for depositing these sediments were estimated by calculating paleo wave heights using a variety of criteria e g critical threshold equations breaker depths berm heights in addition the climate and paleogeography during the deposition of these sediments were essentially the same as today allowing the use of present day wave statistics to estimate the frequency of these storm events the largest storms formed offshore flowing currents e g rip wind forced and possibly storm surge ebb currents that resulted in the deposition of approximately 30 of the sediments seaward of the surf zone however the magnitude and frequency of these events are unknown the remaining 70 of the sediment beyond the surf zone was deposited in response to smaller storm waves which were on the average at least 1 6 m high such waves presently occur no more than 15 of the time sediments deposited during fairweather conditions i e the remaining 85 of the time have a low preservation potential and are generally not preserved in this facies in contrast surf zone sediments were deposited by a variety of processes associated with waves whose maximum offshore heights were probably 2 2 m such waves presently occur up to 92 of the time sediments within the swash zone were deposited by waves up to 3 m high the largest of which presently occur approximately 2 of the time most of the sediments were deposited by storms of intermediate magnitude and frequency different facies however appear to preferentially record events of different recurrence intervals in particular surf zone sediments were deposited under relatively small storm and post storm conditions whereas sediments deposited farther offshore record increasingly larger less frequent storm events relatively rare events e g the 100 or 1000 yr events do not appear to have significantly affected sedimentation in these nearshore environments

nearshore and alluvial facies in the sant llorenc del munt depositional system recognition and development abstract the eocene sant llorenc del munt fan delta complex forms a part of the coarse grained foreland basin fill of the southeastern margin of the ebro basin it was sourced from the rising catalan coastal range in the se and shows an overall northwesterly progradation during a time period of approximately six million years coarse clastic deposits coarse sands and gravels dominated this fan delta whereas finer grained sands silts and muds were deposited laterally off active sedimentation sites or in the more marine area depositional processes were clearly influenced by the high sediment input giving a dominance of sediment gravity flow deposits the sediments studied have been grouped into four distinct facies belts including coastal plain proximal fan delta front distal fan delta front and fan delta slope sediments respectively the facies belts combine to form the nearshore and coastal alluvial reaches of the fan delta system developed during a transgressive phase lasting some 50 000 years

the sis palaeovalley a record of proximal fluvial sedimentation and drainage basin development in response to pyrenean mountain building the sis conglomerate body represents the middle eocene to oligocene transfer zone trunk palaeovalley fill of the sis fluvial system a drainage system established within the pyrenees during late palaeocene times the spatial stability of the fluvial transfer zone active for at least 38 my and hence the longevity of its aggradational palaeovalley component 19 5 my was controlled by its location between long lived pre existing structures coarse grained fluvial facies dominate the palaeovalley fill with alluvial fan facies shed from its defining marginal structures the detailed sedimentology of very proximal fluvial facies deposited within the dominantly erosional realm of an active mountain belt has rarely been documented before because of their poor preservation potential the sis conglomerate body contains a robust internal stratigraphy with stratigraphic units defined by distinct bounding surfaces across which there are pronounced changes in facies and provenance these mark the reorganization of the headward portions of the sis fluvial system during the evolution of the pyrenean axial zone antiformal stack major changes in discharge resulted demonstrating the highly variable nature of even mountain belt scale fluvial systems when viewed on timescales of several to tens of millions of years provenance details indicate that initial unroofing of hercynian granitoids situated within the pyrenean axial zone occurred around 54 5 ma early ypresian immediately before the first significant exhumation event within the drainage basin of the sis fluvial system this is earlier than previously constrained by apatite fission track studies rock uplift accelerated in the lutetian and bartonian with the initial aggradation of the palaeovalley fill the cajigar and cornudella formations and sis one and two members this became marked in the priabonian sis three and four members with significant activity on local structures including the morreres backthrust an increase in basement derived clasts and a headwater decapitation event also indicate pronounced axial zone antiformal stack development at this time axial zone development intensified further in the oligocene with the deposition of the collegats formation and the switch in the main depositional loci of the system from the tremp graus thrust sheet top basin to the ebro basin to the south

revisions to the age of the brunhes matuyama boundary and the pleistocene geomagnetic polarity timescale the currently referenced age of 730 ka for the brunhes matuyama b m geomagnetic polarity boundary mankinen and dalrymple 1979 is based largely on k ar and paleomagnetic data from postcollapse rhyolites in the valles caldera new mexico doell and dalrymple 1966 doell et al 1968 dating of sanidine from valles rhyolites by the 40a 39ar laser fusion technique indicates that samples critical to defining the b m boundary are up to 90 ka older than previously thought the new data combined with earlier results yield an age for the b m boundary of 780 10 ka 40ar 39ar ages from other samples suggest the jaramillo normal polarity subchron extended from 1010 to 915 ka

fault activity and marine terracing in the capo vaticano area southern calabria during the middle late quaternary abstract the capo vaticano peninsula is a structural high bordered by several normal fault segments mainly striking ne sw and wnw ese and belonging to the so called siculo calabrian rift zone both the two fault systems extend in the tyrrhenian offshore and show recent activity in the capo vaticano peninsula six orders of marine terraces with their preserved paleoshorelines and a top surface have been recognised they form a continuous set of morphological elements ascribed to the last seven principal high stands of the eustatic curve occurred from 330 to 60 kyr on the basis of new chronological data available in the recent literature the morphotectonic analysis of the paleoshorelines allowed recognition of a deformation pattern characterised by a northeastward tilting of the area and to quantify the uplift rates moreover vertical slip rates ranging between 0 25 and 2 5 mm yr have been calculated for a wnw ese trending fault segment the coccorino fault in this structural framework the late quaternary uplift of the capo vaticano peninsula can be related to the activity of both the ne sw and wnw ese striking normal fault systems added to the regional component of uplift the recent activity of these structures is also suggested by the 1905 seismic event that occurred offshore of the capo vaticano peninsula

synrift stratigraphic geometry in a transfer zone coarse grained delta complex miocene pohang basin se korea the gojusan fan delta is a coarse grained delta complex on the western margin of the miocene pohang basin se korea the deposits consist of five facies associations fa alluvial fan conglomerates fa i shallow marine mouthbar sandstones fa ii fluvial and mouth bar conglomerates fa iii gilberttype foreset conglomerates fa iv and hemipelagic mudstones fa v different facies associations characterize the northern central and southern parts of the delta complex to the north fa iv is laterally juxtaposed with fa i or the basement with scarp derived breccias along the contact centrally and to the south fa i is laterally juxtaposed with fa ii with an abrupt facies change and local inliers of basement rocks along the contact early alluvial fan and mouth bar deposits are overlain by the topset fa iii and truncated by the foreset fa iv of a gilbert type delta in the central part of the fan delta complex whereas fa ii passes transitionally upward into fa iii in the south with the latter extending basinward into a gently inclined shoal water delta front gilbert type and shoal water geometries are therefore developed in the same delta complex the composite delta geometry is interpreted as reflecting 1 its development near an extensional transfer zone where the hangingwall relief was variable over short distances along strike and 2 the operation of intrabasinal faults this interpretation contrasts with previous studies that viewed the delta complex as having formed along a pull apart basin margin

deformation of the 125 ka marine terrace in italy tectonic implications in peninsular italy marine terraces and shorelines created during oxygenisotope substage 5e known historically as the tyrrhenian highstand provide a reliable and homogeneous datum of vertical motions during the past 125 000 years published accounts of 121 locations on the tyrrhenian inner edge were reinterpreted and used to calculate both local and regional uplift rates the data show arching of southern italy between the tyrrhenian and the adriatic coasts and of the calabrian arc between the sangineto and the longi taormina tectonic lineaments at rates of up to 1 2 mm yr for the past 125 ka they also suggest that the present configuration of the southern apennines is the product of post early pleistocene regional uplift superimposed on tortonian to early pleistocene thrusting uplift patterns are characterised by different wavelength in different geodynamic settings suggesting a close link with the depth of the causative tectonic sources

geomorphology and tectonics of uplifted coasts new chronostratigraphical constraints for the quaternary evolution of tyrrhenian north calabria southern italy abstract the tyrrhenian coastal sector of north calabria stretching between torre s nicola and the lao river belongs to the inner extensional sector of the neogene apennines thrust belt it is characterised by a stair of quaternary marine and fluvial terraces representing the geomorphic response to the interaction between the quaternary sea level fluctuations and the regional trend of tectonic uplift experienced by the margins of the tyrrhenian back arc basin since the last century several authors studied the north calabria coasts where the flight of terraces preserves significant marine and continental successions and proposed several paleo geomorphological and tectonic reconstructions in this paper we present a new stratigraphic and morphostructural setting of the north calabria coasts based on both chronostratigraphical constraints obtained from marine deposits and detailed geomorphological analysis a ten order stair of marine terraces stepping between 240 and 0 m a s l was recognized and time constrained by the age of the fornaci s nicola marine succession which was ascribed by integrated paleoecological biostratigraphical and paleomagentic analyses to the early middle pleistocene mis 19 15 in particular the 240 200 and 160 m a s l high strandlines were ascribed to the early pleistocene and the ones between 100 and 15 m a s l to the middle pleistocene the total amount of the vertical motion experienced by the studied area was estimated and evaluation of the average rates of uplift for the middle and late pleistocene times were also given considering the elevation a s l of the oldest terraces a tectonic uplift of at least 240 m was calculated for the north calabria coasts since the early pleistocene times 100 m of which gained from the beginning of the middle pleistocene on the other hand the 8 m high late pleistocene strandlines display a negligible vertical displacement affecting the area during the last 130 ka the entire staircase of terraces preserves a record of slowing down in the rate of uplift which attained an average value of 0 15 mm year during the middle pleistocene

lithofacies variations within sandur deposits the role of runoff regime flow dynamics and sediment supply characteristics abstract the icelandic sandur plains have for long acted as classic sites for models of braided river behaviour and of associated lithofacies assemblages however many of the icelandic sandurs are subject to repeated catastrophic flood events or jokulhlaups which are likely to have played a significant role in sandur construction established lithofacies models based on the icelandic sandurs have failed to take account of the varying runoff regimes which characterise the different sandur environments in addition sediment inputs to sandur channel systems are highly variable fluctuating in response both to varying runoff patterns and to advance and retreat of the source glacier that affect sediment availability within the proglacial zone this paper describes the main lithofacies types and vertical profiles that characterize the sandurs of south iceland and demonstrates that they can largely be attributed to extreme runoff events with few deposits typical of braided river facies occurring within the sedimentary record a preliminary qualitative model is developed that allows interpretation and prediction of vertical lithofacies profiles derived from glacial outwash in terms of i the drainage mechanism which in turn controls the dominant runoff population ii sediment availability and iii the spatial variability in flow dynamics

architectural analysis of fluvial sequences in the northwestern part of kyongsang basin early cretaceous se korea abstract the northwestern part of kyongsang basin early cretaceous largely comprises interbedded sandstones and mudstones of fluvial depositional environments with local basin margin conglomeratic deposits of alluvial fan systems these non marine successions are divided into 5 successive stratigraphic units each of which is unique in facies assemblages and architecture of sandstone bodies one stratigraphic unit sinpyong anpyong unit is documented in this paper with detailed architectural analysis of sandstone bodies the deposits of the sinpyong anpyong unit are divided into three major components thick sandstone thin sandstone and mudstone dominated bodies the thick sandstone bodies 2 47 m thick comprise stacked element groups bounded by laterally persistent erosional surfaces probably representing superposition of channel belts within individual element groups elements are laterally superposed indicating growth and superposition of bars and movement of associated channels the thickness of bar deposits and dip angles of laterally inclined strata suggest that channels were a few to 10 m in depth and 9 m to several tens of meters in width paleocurrent data indicate southward or southeastward draining channel systems the thin sandstone bodies generally the thick sandstone bodies formed in major channels and channel belts are characterized by lateral superposition of numerous bar and channel deposits limited extent of individual lateral accretion sets and the presence of mid channel bar deposits suggesting deposition in braided rivers detailed reconstruction of bars and channels reveals a range of processes including growth coalescence and erosion of bars and migration switching and filling of channels lateral accretion of bars and the associated channel migration might have been principal processes in the sinpyong anpyong river systems bars were commonly coalesced by lateral superposition forming large bar complexes

distinctive characteristics of a streamflow dominated alluvial fan deposit sanghori area kyongsang basin early cretaceous southeastern korea abstract in the northwestern part of the non marine kyongsang basin early cretaceous conglomeratic deposits occur at intervals along the northern basin margin and grade basinward into interbedded sandstone and mudstone one of these conglomeratic deposits referred to as the sanghori deposit is 150 m thick and characterized by amalgamated sheets of conglomerate and sandstone facies assemblages 1 and 2 alternating with interbedded sandstone and purple siltstone facies assemblage 3 facies assemblage 1 comprises clast supported disorganized and organized sheet conglomerates interbedded with massive to stratified sandstones this assemblage is interpreted as the product of proximal gravel bed stream deposition facies assemblage 2 consists of trough and planar cross stratified and horizontally stratified sandstones it represents sandy braided stream deposits in which sand bars and dunes were common sedimentary facies and architecture of the coarse grained facies assemblages suggest that the gravel bed and sandy braided streams were wide and shallow and rapidly aggraded during flash floods facies assemblage 3 consists of interbedded purple siltstone and tabular sandstone which show evidence of weak pedogenic modification and bioturbation these characteristics are interpreted as the result of floodplain processes sediments were supplied from the north and dispersed radially forming a streamflow dominated alluvial fan system the sanghori alluvial system was most probably fed from a large drainage basin resulting in the predominance of streamflow deposits and rounded clasts the alternation of the gravel bed stream and floodplain deposits was due to autocyclic switching of active fan sectors under the conditions of relatively slow and steady basin subsidence

ordovician continental margin terranes in the lachlan orogen australia implications for tectonics in an accretionary orogen along the east gondwana margin 1 four continental margin turbidite black shale terranes of the lachlan orogen in the southern tasmanides of eastern australia formed in two major systems along the east gondwana margin and constrain the ordovician assembly of this accretionary orogen key features are the dissimilar stratigraphies of the adjacent bendigo and melbourne terranes in the western system the dissimilar stratigraphies of the adjacent melbourne and albury bega terranes that reflect juxtaposition of the two systems during the middle devonian and the presence of the albury bega terrane both west and east of the macquarie arc in the eastern system that also includes the ocean floor narooma terrane and igneous ocean crust terrane s repetition of the albury bega terrane either side of the arc requires either rifting or orogen parallel strike slip duplication of a once contiguous package terrane interactions began in the earliest gisbornian with early docking uplift deformation and exchange of detritus amalgamation occurred in the earliest silurian benambran orogeny with accretion in the middle devonian over 40 myr discrete turbidite terranes aligned along the gondwana margin in two systems were converted into a very wide orogen characterized by the along strike juxtaposition of superficially similar terranes

fluvial architecture and sequence stratigraphy of the eocene to oligocene iwaki formation northeast japan channel fills related to the sea level change abstract the iwaki formation the lowermost part of the eocene to oligocene shiramizu group northeast japan consists of conglomeratic braided drainage sediments the formation displays fining upward succession that reflects an overall transgressive sequence with two other overlying formations of the group although the clast supported conglomerates are by far the major components of the formation they also intercalate with many concave up channel sediments filled up with sandy deposits the lower part of the formation mainly consists of multistorey large scale channel sandstones with minor amount of small scale single storey channel sandstones which are related to low rates of base level rise in contrast the middle to upper part of the formation comprises single storey strata with relatively small scale channels which were probably associated with more rapid rates of base level rise the field evidence shows that the change of scale and internal structures of channel sandstones within the conglomerates most likely reflect the rate of changes of sea level rise

coastal slope terracing and relative sea level changes deductions based on computer simulations although a traditional geological survey of terraced coastal slopes is an essential part of studies aimed to reconstruct relative sea level changes the stratigraphic and chronological data so obtained frequently prove inadequate to completely unravel the sometimes very complex history of sea level fluctuation especially where erosion has prevailed over deposition and or deposits are difficult to date on the basis of our experience we think that much additional information can be gained through geomorphological interpretation of the profiles of those slopes in order to facilitate such interpretation a computer simulation model is developed that is able to predict the morphogenic response to a variety of possible relative sea level histories the results can be used to envisage some new interpretation keys for the analysis of real situations and hopefully as bases for the conception of general models of coastal slope evolution under the action of a variable sea level though preliminary the results so far obtained permit identification of the geomorphological consequences in terms of resulting slope profile of ordered successions of transgressions and regressions of different amplitude rate order and style moreover they provide interesting insights into the role that different styles of tectonic uplift may play in the phenomenon of multiple terracing of coastal slopes