surface circulation in the gulf of cadiz 2 inflow outflow coupling and the gulf of cadiz slope current 1 a study of the upper slope circulation in the gulf of cadiz is presented observations both original and revisited and realistic numerical modeling are used together to describe the structure and variability of the slope current system above the mediterranean outflow it is shown that the mediterranean inflow outflow coupling plays a stronger role than that of the atmospheric forcing in driving the upper slope currents the mediteranean outflow forces a surface open ocean current toward the strait of gibraltar part of it is entrained into the outflow and the remaining flows into the mediterranean this latter component does not suffice for the observed transport of the atlantic inflow into the mediterranean a secondary contribution to the inflow is therefore needed to complement the transport this contribution comes from a persistent equatorward current along the upper slope between cape st vincent and the strait of gibraltar the jet is 20 30 km wide and significant in the upper 200 m attaining subinertial maxima as much as 0 3 0 4 m s and monthly means in the order of 0 1 0 15 m s this current shows a strong variability at time scales in the order of 2 8 days and displays a significant vertical shear the response of the upper slope current to synoptic and seasonal atmospheric variability is analyzed very low correlation was detected at synoptic scales and the response of the system to seasonal forcing is unclear a cycle of intensification in june july and a decrease in winter is apparent in the measurements but is weak in the model results it is speculated that the cycle in the observed currents is associated with variability in the inflow outflow coupling system rather than driven by seasonally changing wind forcing

seabeam and seismic reflection imaging of the tectonic regime of the andean continental margin off peru 4 s to 10 s abstract marine geophysical surveys employing seabeam multi and single channel seismic reflection gravity and magnetic instruments were conducted at two locations along the continental slope of the peru trench during the seaperc cruise of the r v jean charcot in july 1986 these areas are centered around 5 30 s and 9 30 s off the coastal towns of paita and chimbote respectively these data indicate that 1 the continental slope off peru consists of three distinct morpho structural domains from west to east are the lower middle and upper slopes instead of just two as previously reported 2 the middle slope has the characteristics of a zone of tectonic collapse at the front of a gently flexured upper slope 3 the upper half of the lower slope appears to represent the product of mass wasting 4 thrusting at the foot of the margin produces a continuous morphologic feature representing a deformation front where the products of mass wasting are overprinted by a compressional tectonic fabric 5 a change in the tectonic regime from tensional to compressional occurs at the mid slope lower slope boundary the accretionary prism being restricted to the very base of the lower slope in the paita area the andean margin off peru is an extensional active margin or a collapsing active margin developing a subordinated accretionary complex induced by massive collapse of the middle slope area

airborne synthetic aperture radar tracking of internal waves in the strait of gibraltar abstract as part of the international gibraltar experiment we realized on june 22 and 24 1986 two surveys of the strait of gibraltar on board an aircraft equipped with a synthetic aperture radar our objective was to observe at spring tides and during two twelve hour tidal cycles at 24 h interval the generation of internal wave trains linked to the hydraulic jump formed west of the sill during the westward phase of the tidal current and their eastward propagation in the strait the speed of propagation of these waves and the effect of the diurnal component of the tide on their generation and propagation could then be determined our results suggest that two solitary waves of equal amplitude propagated eastwards in the strait on june 22 the tidal coefficient being equal to 92 with a speed relative to the ground of 2 1 to 2 6 m s 1 24 h later during the second survey on june 24 tidal coefficient 90 we observed the propagation of a train of non linear waves the speed of the leading wave of which being about 1 9 ms 1 our data show that other waves pass over the camarinal sill after the release of the bore and secondary internal wave trains are shown to propagate eastwards from there although our sar data show the appearance of waves west of the northern sill at about 4 h after high water hw the mechanism leading to their generation is not clear these waves could propagate eastwards all along the strait and or northwestwards along the western spanish coast they could be responsible for the solitary type events observed at the eastern entrance of the strait at about 7 h after hw by ziegenbein 1969 1970 these events are noticeable in the hydrological parameters time series of armi and farmer 1988 and in the high rate current data 2 min apart from their april 1986 cruise besides these alongstrait waves our sar data show the existence of cross strait waves and give an idea of their wavelength and speed of propagation their presence leads to perturbations in the current revealed by simultaneous current data at the camarinal sill and north of cape cires

development of the accretionary prism along peru and material flux after subduction of nazca ridge results from ocean drilling program leg 112 indicated tectonic erosion of the peruvian convergent margin during subduction of the nazca ridge followed by renewed accretion against the erosional scar seismic images and swath mapping morphology show a regional geology shaped as subduction of nazca ridge migrated 800 km along the peru trench the accretionary prism is imaged at two stages of development since upper miocene time with depth migrated seismic records in which the back stop is well defined from these data material flux can be quantified after the ridge crest subducted and accretion dominated over erosion the prism grew rapidly to 10 to 15 km width during rapid growth the margin taper was large and about 60 percent of the sediment supply accreted as the prism growth slowed only 30 percent accreted despite an increased trench sediment supply since the convergence rate changed little the inverse relation between sediment supply and prism growth rate suggests that other processes allow most of the sediment input to be subducted the decreased prism growth may be partially controlled by varying the structure of the back stop the force required to activate faults cutting across the back stop is probably greater than the force allowed by basal friction across the plate boundary thus the shear stress transmitted across the plate boundary is insufficient to drive out of sequence thrust faults that would thicken the back stop or raise it beyond a limited height a constant back stop height limits accretion and the subduction window appears to open and accommodate increased trench sediment beneath the back stop rather than inducing a transport of sediment over the top of the back stop nazca ridge subduction affected the convergent margin mass flux for about 8 ma mass balancing indicates an order of magnitude increase in the current sediment volume subducted in the north compared to that near the ridge crest when growth of the accretionary prism slowed a greater terrigenous input through the trench was accommodated by sediment subduction the resulting range of material flux is estimated to increase the sediment interlayer between the plates about 500 m which may affect coupling

contourite erosive features caused by the mediterranean outflow water in the gulf of cadiz quaternary tectonic and oceanographic implications abstract contourite depositional systems have been the focus of much recent research but still relatively little is known about contourite erosive features and their associated processes based on multibeam bathymetry side scan imagery and different resolution seismic records a detailed description and classification of the major erosive submarine valley features of the contourite depositional system of the gulf of cadiz middle slope is presented for the first time four types of erosive features have been differentiated including contourite moats contourite channels marginal valleys and large isolated furrows and interpreted in terms of their tectonic and oceanographic implications during the quaternary the study of the distribution and characteristics of erosive features is essential to better understand the present and past interaction of the mediterranean outflow water mow with the middle slope seafloor and allows us to propose a new and more precise scheme for the mow circulation patterns this scheme includes a main along slope circulation responsible for the excavation of the contourite moat and channels and a secondary down slope circulation responsible for the erosion of marginal valleys and isolated furrows three evolutionary stages have been observed in the development of the erosive system during the quaternary that can be related to changes in the distribution and splitting of the mow as a consequence of the segmentation of the ne sw diapiric ridges by neotectonic effects 1 early pleistocene to mid pleistocene linear diapiric ridges 2 mid pleistocene to late pleistocene diapiric reactivation and 3 late pleistocene to holocene main recent phase of diapiric ridges segmentation and rotation this study provides important regional clues for establishing the evolution of the erosive features in relation with neotectonic effects and represents a good example of the potential of erosive features as evidences for the reconstruction of the paleoceanography and recent tectonic changes

morphologic and geologic effects of the subduction of bathymetric highs morphologic and geologic observations suggest that subduction of bathymetric highs such as aseismic ridges chains of seamounts and fracture zones are important in the development of many forearc features and that those features form during relatively brief episodes of intense tectonism a bathymetric high obliquely entering a subduction zone tends to compress sediments along its leading edge resulting in arcward compression of the accretionary wedge a landward deflection of the trench axis and a steepened inner wall result from this deformation if a significant component of oblique slip occurs along the subduction zone then along strike movement of the accretionary wedge may also occur stresses resulting from subduction of bathymetric features with sufficient buoyancy or high relief extend farther landward than in the case of smaller less buoyant features inducing uplift of the leading edge of the overriding plate tectonic erosion of the base of the overriding plate and along strike transport of are material may also occur the accelerated tectonism observed along several convergent margins can be attributed to the consumption of bathymetric irregularities on the seafloor rather than temporally abrupt changes in rates and directions of plate motions or other episodic events in the accretionary prism

influence of the atlantic inflow and mediterranean outflow currents on late quaternary sedimentary facies of the gulf of cadiz continental margin abstract the late quaternary pattern of sedimentary facies on the spanish gulf of cadiz continental shelf results from an interaction between a number of controlling factors that are dominated by the atlantic inflow currents flowing southeastward across the cadiz shelf toward the strait of gibraltar an inner shelf shoreface sand facies formed by shoaling waves is modified by the inflow currents to form a belt of sand dunes at 10 20 m that extends deeper and obliquely down paleo valleys as a result of southward down valley flow a mid shelf holocene mud facies progrades offshore from river mouth sources but atlantic inflow currents cause extensive progradation along shelf toward the southeast increased inflow current speeds near the strait of gibraltar and the strong mediterranean outflow currents there result in lack of mud deposition and development of a reworked transgressive sand dune facies across the entire southernmost shelf at the outer shelf edge and underlying the mid shelf mud and inner shelf sand facies is a late pleistocene to holocene transgressive sand sheet formed by the eustatic shoreline advance the late quaternary pattern of contourite deposits on the spanish gulf of cadiz continental slope results from an interaction between linear diapiric ridges that are oblique to slope contours and the mediterranean outflow current flowing northwestward parallel to the slope contours and down valleys between the ridges coincident with the northwestward decrease in outflow current speeds from the strait there is the following northwestward gradation of contourite sediment facies 1 upper slope sand to silt bed facies 2 sand dune facies on the upstream mid slope terrace 3 large mud wave facies on the lower slope 4 sediment drift facies banked against the diapiric ridges and 5 valley facies between the ridges the southeastern sediment drift facies closest to gibraltar contains medium fine sand beds interbedded with mud the adjacent valley floor facies is composed of gravelly shelly coarse to medium sand lags and large sand dunes on the valley margins by comparison the northwestern drift contains coarse silt interbeds and the adjacent valley floors exhibit small to medium sand dunes of fine sand because of the complex pattern of contour parallel and valley perpendicular flow paths of the mediterranean outflow current the larger scale bedforms and coarser grained sediment of valley facies trend perpendicular to the smaller scale bedforms and finer grained contourite deposits of adjacent sediment drift facies radiocarbon ages verify that the inner shelf shoreface sand facies sedimentation rate 7 1 cm kyr mid shelf mud facies maximum rate 234 cm kyr and surface sandy contourite layer of 0 2 1 2 m thickness on the cadiz slope 1 12 cm kyr have deposited during holocene time when high sea level results in maximum water depth over the gibraltar sill and full development of the atlantic inflow and mediterranean outflow currents the transgressive sand sheet of the shelf and the mud layer underlying the surface contourite sand sheet of the slope correlate respectively with the late pleistocene sea level lowstand and apparent weak mediterranean outflow current

quaternary sedimentation and origin of the orinoco sediment wave field on the demerara continental rise ne margin of south america abstract new core data from a sediment wave field on the demerara outer ridge show that the waves are mainly built from turbidity currents that flow northwards down the demerara margin the contour currents circulating parallel and obliquely to the margin are apparently not as important to wave formation as previously proposed detailed analysis of the sedimentary facies of cores taken on the crest and flank of a sediment wave indicates that fine grained turbiditic deposits are dominant hemipelagic pelagic deposits are interbedded with the turbidites sediment redistribution by contour currents was only evidenced by the presence of peculiar clay mineral assemblages and microfaunal associations as well as some sedimentary structures such as truncations and cross bedding the turbiditic processes were active during the last glacial in contrast the holocene is characterised by pelagic sedimentation a combination of seismic and core data suggests that the sediment waves result from predominantly turbiditic depositional processes interacting with minor contour currents and synsedimentary deformation processes

vertical tectonics and the origins of bsrs along the peru margin abstract the distribution of bottom simulating reflections bsrs which mark the base of the gas hydrate zone on marine seismic records across the peru margin is examined with respect to tectonic uplift sedimentation and carbon content of sediment where accretion of only deep ocean pelagic sediment containing less than 1 carbon is seismically imaged no bsr is observed no bsr is apparent on seismic records of carbon rich 4 8 sediment of rapidly subsiding basins bsrs are abundant on records of carbon rich sediment affected by tectonic uplift and or rapid sedimentation in areas of uplift the bottom simulating reflectors contain small amounts of free gas in contact with sediment containing small amounts of gas hydrate during uplift free gas is released from gas hydrates by dissociation as the hydrate phase boundary shifts upward with respect to sea level the strong effects of free gas in reducing seismic velocity and gas hydrate in increasing velocity can explain the relatively small total quantities of gas and hydrate indicated by observations of bsrs off peru

potential geologic hazards on the eastern gulf of cadiz slope sw spain abstract geologic hazards resulting from sedimentary oceanographic and tectonic processes affect more than one third of the offshore gulf of cadiz and are identified by interpreting high resolution seismic profiles and sonographs hazards of sedimentary origin include the occurrence of slope instability processes in the form of single or multiple slumps occupying up to 147 km 2 mainly concentrated in the steeper upper slope area besides the presence of steep slopes the triggering of submarine landslides is probably due to seismic activity and favoured by the presence of biogenic gas within the sediment gassy sediments and associated seafloor pockmarks cover more than 240 km 2 in the upper slope hazards from oceanographic processes result from the complex system of bottom currents created by the interaction of the strong mediterranean undercurrent and the rough seafloor physiography the local intensification of bottom currents is responsible for erosive processes along more than 1900 km 2 in the upper slope and in the canyons eroded in the central area of the slope undermining slopes and causing instability the strong bottom currents also create a mobile seafloor containing bedforms in an area of the gulf that extends more than 2500 km 2 mostly in the continental slope terraces hazards of tectonic origin are important because the gulf of cadiz straddles two major tectonic regions the azores gibraltar fracture zone and the betic range which results in diapir uplift over an area of more than 1000 km 2 and in active seismicity with earthquakes of moderate magnitude also tsunamis produced by strong earthquakes occur in the gulf of cadiz and are related to the tectonic activity along the azores gibraltar fracture zone

contourite drift construction influenced by capture of mediterranean outflow water deep sea current by the portimao submarine canyon gulf of cadiz south portugal abstract the margin of the gulf of cadiz is swept by the deep current formed by the mediterranean outflow water mow flowing from the mediterranean to the atlantic on the northern margin of the gulf algarve margin south portugal the mow intensity is low and fine grained contourite drifts are built up with an alongslope development from new sedimentological data this study emphasizes the presence of two types of contourite drifts separated only by a deep submarine canyon incising the slope with a north south orientation portimao canyon high resolution seismic and bathymetry interpretation shows that on the eastern side of the canyon the mow forms a thick and large detached drift albufeira drift prograding toward both north and west as shown in seismic profiles with a high sedimentation rate on this side of the canyon the mow intensity is high enough to erode the slope forming a moat channel alvarez cabral on the western side of portimao canyon the mow energy is lower preventing moat channel erosion only flat and thin drift develops portimao and lagos drifts with slow aggradation and a low sedimentation rate this difference in drift development is due to the presence of the canyon which generates an important change in hydrodynamic of the mow confirmed by temperature density measurements showing that mow flows down portimao canyon the canyon is responsible for the deviation of the direction of the mow as it partly catches the deep sea current flowing westward i e capture phenomenon it creates thus a decrease of the flow energy competency and capacity between the east and west sides of the canyon through this phenomenon of mow deep sea current capture the canyon constitutes a morphologic feature generating an important change in the contourite deposition pattern in addition to already known climatic and oceanographic influences our results show the role of canyons on contourite drift building this study provides new elements on autocyclic factors influencing the contourite sedimentation which are important to consider in future sedimentary paleo reconstruction interpretations

gas charged sediments and large pockmark like features on the gulf of cadiz slope sw spain abstract gassy sediments and large seafloor pockmarks are identified from seismic profiles in the gulf of cadiz slope gas charged sediments are represented by zones of acoustic turbidity and other acoustic anomalies on seismic profiles most of the gas is believed to be biogenic in origin resulting from the decay of organic matter contained within rapidly developed regressive shelf margin deltas a group of large asymmetric seafloor pockmarks also occurs downslope of the gassy area both on the seafloor surface and deeply buried in the sediment column sediment sorting by the mediterranean undercurrent seems to act as a controlling factor for the development of each type of gas originated feature the area where the strong mediterranean undercurrent outflow impinges the seafloor is covered by sandy sediments of high porosity which allow the interstitial gas to escape through the sediment pores whereas the areas affected by weaker currents are covered by clays and the gas tends to accumulate in the sediment beneath impermeable horizons

iberian plate kinematics a jumping plate boundary between eurasia and africa the rotation of iberia and its relation to the formation of the pyrenees has been difficult to decipher because of the lack of detailed sea floor spreading data although several models have been proposed1 7 here we use detailed aeromagnetic measurements from the sea floor offshore of the grand banks of newfoundland to show that iberia moved as part of the african plate from late cretaceous to mid eocene time with a plate boundary extending westward from the bay of biscay when motion along this boundary ceased a boundary linking extension in the king s trough to compression along the pyrenees came into existence finally since the late oligocene iberia has been part of the eurasian plate with the boundary between eurasia and africa situated along the azores gibraltar fracture zone

stress modeling in the andes constraints on the south american intraplate stress magnitudes regions of high topography which exhibit both compressional and extensional deformation provide a natural laboratory to place constraints on horizontal intraplate stress magnitudes an elastic finite element analysis of the lithospheric stress field in the cordillera bianca region of peru has been used to evaluate the lithospheric stress state and constrain the south american intraplate stress magnitudes the orthogonal orientation of the andean high topography to the east west regional stress field in conjunction with the well documented change in deformation style from compression to extension across the cordillera provides a unique setting for the stress modeling a two dimensional finite element grid consisting of an assembly of isotropic elastic quadrilateral elements in a state of plane strain was used to represent the lithosphere an isostatically balanced crustal density model was used to calculate the stresses associated with the lateral density variations between the andean topography and the brazilian shield in some models horizontal stress was concentrated at midcrustal depths by including vertical variation in young s modulus the modeling results indicate bounds of 10 and 75 mpa for the magnitude of the average horizontal stress averaged over a 100 km thick lithosphere a preferred value of 25 mpa is obtained on the basis of fitting all of the data for the rheological models considered and predicting a transition from extension to compression near the 3000 m elevation contour such a far field average stress is consistent with a ridge push origin because the modeling performed in this study assumes that the topographic load is entirely compensated by the buoyancy of the deflected moho these estimates represent upper bounds the effect of incorporating thermal support for the topographic load of the cordillera bianca would be to further reduce our estimate of the intraplate stress magnitudes analysis of the distribution of calculated stress with depth indicates that previous assumptions about the vertical plane shear stress within the lithosphere being negligible are acceptable for the geometry of the andes

morphotectonics and strain partitioning at the iberia africa plate boundary from multibeam and seismic reflection data abstract the gulf of cadiz off sw iberia and the nw moroccan margin straddles the cryptic plate boundary between africa and eurasia a region where the orogenic alpine compressive deformation in the continental collision zone passes laterally to the west to strike slip deformation a set of new multibeam bathymetry multi channel and single channel seismic data presented here image the main morphological features of tectonic origin of a significant part of the gulf of cadiz from the continental shelf to the abyssal plain these morphotectonic features are shown to result from the reactivation of deeply rooted faults that changed their kinematics from the early mesozoic rifting through the late cretaceous paleogene collision to the pliocene quaternary thrusting and wrenching the old faults control deep incised more than 100 km long canyons and valleys several effects of neotectonics on deep water seabed are shown these include i the complex morphology caused by wrenching on the 230 km long wnw ese faults that produced en echelon folds on the sediments ii the formation of up to 5 km wide crescent shaped scours at roughly 4 km water depth by reactivation of thrusts iii 10 km long creep folds on the continental slope and iv the formation of landslides on active fault escarpments the present day deformation is partitioned on ne sw thrusts and wnw ese to w e strike slip faults and is propagating northwards on n s trending thrusts along the west iberia margin from 35 5 n to 38 n which should be considered for seismic hazard

new insights into upper mow variability over the last 150kyr from iodp 339 site u1386 in the gulf of cadiz the upper mediterranean outflow water mow paleo oceanographic history in the gulf of cadiz is poorly constrained due to the lack of high resolution records that pre date the last glaciation existing proxy records concentrate on mow variability along the middle slope of the gulf of cadiz here we present a continuous high resolution benthic foraminifera 18o record from the upper mow core at iodp expedition 339 site u1386 in the gulf of cadiz of the past 150 000 years based on 18o grain size and zr al variability comparison of our results with existing mediterranean sea md01 2472 md95 2043 open ocean lr04 and gulf of cadiz md99 2339 records we have gathered new insights into the evolution of the upper mow core on glacial interglacial timescales the influence of the upper mow at site u1386 was strongest during mis 5 and mis 1 similar 18o variability can be seen in the levantine intermediate water liw originating from the levantine basin of the eastern mediterranean sea we found clear indication for a vertical shift of the mow from the upper to the middle slope of the gulf of cadiz during sea level lowstands coinciding with mis 4 and mis 2 but also during mis 3 additionally our results indicate an increased upper mow flow correlated with heinrich events 7 to 10 and the younger dryas and also inversely relate to precession forced monsoonal freshwater inputs into the eastern mediterranean in the context of sapropel formation we could not find conclusive evidence of the proposed mow shutdown in our data

large scale duplexes within the new britain accretionary wedge a possible example of accreted ophiolitic slivers a multichannel seismic line acquired in the western solomon sea images reflectors within the new britain accretionary wedge which we interpret as accreted duplexes of the downgoing oceanic plate the seaward edge of the largest duplex is located just 6 km from the toe of the accretionary wedge suggesting recent incorporation into the wedge these data therefore provide an excellent opportunity to determine the dynamics of oceanic basement accretion the oceanic basement is represented by a high amplitude low frequency reflector that can be traced up to 40 km arcward of the toe of the accretionary wedge on several seismic lines in this survey another prominent reflector similar in character to the basement reflector lies approximately one second higher in at least one seismic section this reflector is likely to be the top of a basement duplex structures imaged above the basement duplex define a preduplex accretionary wedge whereas those at the toe indicate a new episode of postduplex accretion we have tested this interpretation using both magnetic modeling and interval velocity analysis magnetic models of the wedge that include basement duplexes provide a good match to the observed magnetic data and provide limits on the size and interval velocities of the slivers interval velocities between the two strong reflectors calculated using stacking velocities and constrained through magnetic modeling exceed 5000 m s and are consistent with our interpretation of ophiolitic slivers within the accretionary wedge

late quaternary seismic facies of the gulf of cadiz spanish margin depositional processes influenced by sea level change and tectonic controls abstract seismic facies and quaternary depositional systems of the gulf of cadiz have been characterized by means of high resolution seismic profiles airguns geopulse and ore 3 5 khz a total of 11 pleistocene and two holocene sequences separated by type 1 or type 2 discontinuities were identified the age of the depositional sequences was determined based on foraminifera ages from boreholes and by correlation with seismic profiles of the slope areas with uniform deposition and without significant discontinuities these seismic units have been mapped throughout the margin allowing to establish the correlation with eustatic sea level curves and global climatic trends the distribution and geometry of the units reveals that most of the sedimentary record was developed during episodes of forced regression ten regressive periods corresponding to 5th order cycles arranged into 4th order were distinguished absolute water depths for the development of coastal deposits in each unit were calculated using depth from present day sea level corrected for tectonic subsidence in the area the model for the evolution of the depositional system of the gulf of cadiz continental margin highlights the strong influence of tectonism in the development of depositional bodies controlling the distribution of deposits generally produced during episodes of sea level fall

subduction induced fragmentation of the nazca plate off peru mendana fracture zone and trujillo trough revisited the mendana fracture zone and the trujillo trough are two major intra oceanic features on the nazca plate off peru during the seaperc cruise of the r v jean charcot in 1986 sea beam bathymetric data single channel seismic records geomagnetic and gravity measurements and heat flow data have been obtained over these two areas in this paper we confirm that the mendana fracture zone is actively opening perpendicular to its trend resulting in the formation of new oceanic crust since about 3 5 ma we calculate that this new rift is propagating westward along the fracture zone at a velocity of about 10 cm yr 1 or 2 cm yr 1 with respect to the trench this extensional feature appears to be genetically linked with the trujillo trough located 200 km to the north this trough is bounded to the east by a left lateral transpressive fault which became active probably at the time when the mendana rift started we then discuss a possible mechanism to explain the origin of these two areas of intraoceanic deformation

response of the lateglacial fauna to climatic change this study deals with faunal finds from the swiss paleolithic especially from the late glacial faunal assemblages from archeological sites as well as off site finds dated by scientific means are included in the middle of the oldest dryas the large glacial species mammoth rhinoceros cave bear musk ox become extinct during the early bolling the last arctic species disappear and are succeeded by animals like red deer and elk preferring a moderate climate from the middle of the allerod species typical of a denser forest roe deer and wild boar are very frequent

crustal architecture and tectonic evolution of the gulf of cadiz sw iberian margin at the convergence of the eurasian and african plates 1 the gulf of cadiz located at the southwestern iberian margin is characterized by widespread seismicity compressional and strike slip fault plane solutions and by a large elongated positive free air gravity anomaly the gulf of cadiz gravity high gcgh multichannel seismic profiles across and along gcgh together with bathymetric and gravity data allow us to study in detail the tectonic architecture and crustal structure of the gulf of cadiz the upper shelf and slope of the gulf of cadiz includes the main structural domains of the betic fold and thrust belt in the middle part of the gulf the paleozoic basement crops out on the shallow guadalquivir bank and is associated with the largest signature of the gcgh whereas toward the outer part of the gulf the basement deepens progressively a large nw se normal fault and conjugate ne sw faults define a prominent basement high associated with the gcgh modeling of the gcgh suggests localized crustal thinning of 10 km along the central part of the gulf of cadiz probably generated during the mesozoic rifting episode between the iberian and african plates concentric wedges of fold and thrust belts and large allochthonous masses were emplaced in the gulf of cadiz during the neogene compressional phase the final emplacement of these units becomes progressively young from the se pre early langhian toward the foreland in the nw late tortonian seafloor surface ruptures pockmarks and submarine landslides provide evidence of active faulting in the gulf of cadiz to accommodate the present day convergence between the african and eurasian plates previously extensional faults have probably been reactivated and inverted at depth as suggested by the intermediate depth seismicity

contourite processes associated with the mediterranean outflow water after its exit from the strait of gibraltar global and conceptual implications we characterize the eastern gulf of cadiz proximal to the strait of gibraltar using a multidisciplinary approach that combines oceanographic morphosedimentary and stratigraphic studies two terraces upper and lower were identified along the middle slope they are composed of several associated morphologic elements including two large erosive channels which allow us to determine a new and more detailed understanding of the mediterranean outflow water mow pathway and its deceleration upon exiting the strait of gibraltar there is evidence for along slope circulation and additional secondary circulation oblique to the main flow the present upper core of the mow flows along the upper terrace and the lower core flows along the lower terrace however the lower terrace shows larger and better defined erosive features on the seafloor than does the upper terrace we attribute this to a denser deeper and faster mow circulation that prevailed during past cold climates development of the present features started ca 3 8 3 9 ma but the present morphology was not established until the late pliocene early quaternary 3 2 to older than 2 0 ma when the mow was enhanced coeval with global cooling a sea level fall and an increase in thermohaline circulation we propose a direct link between the mow and the atlantic meridional overturning circulation and therefore between the mow and both the northern hemisphere and global climate our results have enabled a better understanding of a major overflow related to an oceanic gateway and are of broad interest to geologists climatologists oceanographers and petroleum geologists

large scale slope failure involving triassic and middle miocene salt and shale in the gulf of cadiz atlantic iberian margin sheets of salt and ductile shale advancing beyond the thrust front of the gibraltar arc iberian moroccan atlantic continen tal margin triggered downslope movements of huge allochth onous masses these allochthons represent the cadiz nappe which detached from the gibraltar arc along low angle normal faults and migrated downslope from the iberian and moroccan continental margins towards the atlantic ocean extensional tectonics initiated upslope salt withdrawal and downslope diapirism during large scale westward mass wasting from the shelf and upper slope low angle salt and shale detachments bound by lateral ramps link extensional structures in the shelf to folding thrusting and sheets of salt and shale in the gulf of cadiz from backstripping analyses carried out on the depo centres of the growth fault related basins on the shelf we infer two episodes of rapid subsidence related to extensional collapses these were from late tortonian to late messinian 200 400 m myr 1 and from early pliocene to late pliocene 100 150 m myr 1 the extensional events that induced salt movements also affected basement deformation and were probably associated with the westward advance of frontal thrusts of the gibraltar arc as a result of the convergence between africa and eurasia the complexities of salt and or shale tectonics in the gulf of cadiz result from a combination of the deformations seen at convergent and passive continental margins

surface circulation in the gulf of cadiz model and mean flow structure 1 the mean flow structure of the gulf of cadiz is studied using a numerical model the model consists of a set of one way nested configurations attaining resolutions on the order of 2 6 km in the region of the gulf of cadiz in the large scale configuration the entrainment of the mediterranean water is parameterized implicitly through a nudging term in medium and small scale nested configurations the mediterranean outflow is introduced explicitly the model reproduces all the known features of the azores current and of the circulation inside the gulf of cadiz a realistic mediterranean undercurrent is generated and meddies develop at proper depths on the southwest tip of the iberian slope the hypothesis that the azores current may generate in association with the mediterranean outflow plume theories is confirmed by the model results the time mean flow is dominated by a cyclonic cell generated in the gulf which expands westward and has transports ranging from 4 to 5 sv the connection between the cell and the azores current is analyzed at the scale of the gulf the time mean flow cell is composed by the westward mediterranean undercurrent and by a counterflow running eastward over the outer edge of the mediterranean undercurrent deeper vein as the latter is forced downslope this counterflow feeds the entrainment at the depths of the mediterranean undercurrent and the atlantic inflow at shallower levels coastward and upslope of this recirculation cell a second current running equatorward all the way along the northern part of the gulf is revealed this current is a very robust model result that promotes continuity between the southwestern iberian coast and the strait of gibraltar and helps explain many observations and recurrent sst features of the gulf of cadiz

mediterranean undercurrent sandy contourites gulf of cadiz spain abstract the pliocene quaternary pattern of contourite deposits on the eastern gulf of cadiz continental slope results from an interaction between linear diapiric ridges that are perpendicular to slope contours and the mediterranean undercurrent that has flowed northwestward parallel to the slope contours and down valleys between the ridges since the late miocene opening of the strait of gibraltar coincident with the northwestward decrease in undercurrent speeds from the strait there is the following northwestward gradation of sediment facies associations 1 upper slope facies 2 sand dune facies on the upstream mid slope terrace 3 large mud wave facies on the lower slope 4 sediment drift facies banked against the diapiric ridges and 5 valley facies between the ridges the southeastern sediment drift facies closest to gibraltar contains medium fine sand beds interbedded with mud the adjacent valley floor facies is composed of gravelly shelly coarse to medium sand lags and large sand dunes on the valley margins compared to this the northwestern drift contains coarse silt interbeds and the adjacent valley floors exhibit small to medium sand dunes of fine sand further northwestward sediment drift grades to biogenous silt near the faro drift at the portuguese border because of the complex pattern of contour parallel and valley perpendicular flow paths of the mediterranean undercurrent the larger scale bedforms and coarser grained sediment of valley facies trend perpendicular to the smaller scale bedforms and finer grained contourite deposits of adjacent sediment drift facies the bottom current deposits of valleys and the contourites of the cadiz slope intervalley areas are distinct from turbidite systems the valley sequences are not aggradational like turbidite channel levee complexes but typically exhibit bedrock walls against ridges extensive scour and fill into adjacent contourites transverse bedform fields and bioclastic lag deposits both valley and contourite deposits exhibit reverse graded bedding and sharp upper bed contacts in coarse grained layers low deposition rates and a regional pattern of bedform zones textural variation and compositional gradation the surface sandy contourite layer of 0 2 1 2 m thickness that covers the gulf of cadiz slope has formed during the present holocene high sea level because high sea level results in maximum water depth over the gibraltar sill and full development of the mediterranean undercurrent the late pleistocene age of the mud underlying the surface sand sheet correlates with the age of the last sea level lowstand and apparent weak mediterranean undercurrent development thus the cyclic deposition of sand or mud layers and contourite or drape sequences appear to be related to late pliocene and quaternary sea level changes and mediterranean water circulation patterns since its pliocene origin the contourite sequence has had low deposition rates of

the messinian salinity crisis past and future of a great challenge for marine sciences forty years after the image of the mediterranean transformed into a giant salty lake was first conceived the fascinating history of the messinian salinity crisis msc still arouses great interest across a large and diverse scientific community early outcrop studies which identified severe palaeoenvironmental changes affecting the circum mediterranean at the end of the miocene were followed by investigations of the marine geology during the 1950s to 1970s these were fundamental to understanding the true scale and importance of the messinian event now after a long period of debate over several entrenched but largely untested hypotheses a unifying stratigraphic framework of msc events has been constructed this scenario is derived mainly from onshore data and observations but incorporates different perspectives for the offshore and provides hypotheses that can be tested by drilling the deep mediterranean basins the msc was an ecological crisis induced by a powerful combination of geodynamic and climatic drivers which had a great impact on the subsequent geological history of the mediterranean area and on the salinity of the global oceans these changed the mediterranean s connections with both the atlantic ocean and the freshwater paratethyan basins causing high amplitude fluctuations in the hydrology of the mediterranean the msc developed in three main stages each of them characterized by different palaeoenvironmental conditions during the first stage evaporites precipitated in shallow sub basins the msc peaked in the second stage when evaporite precipitation shifted to the deepest depocentres and the third stage was characterized by large scale environmental fluctuations in a mediterranean transformed into a brackish water lake the very high resolution timescale available for some late miocene intervals in the mediterranean makes it possible to consider environmental variability on extremely short time scales including in some places annual changes despite this fundamental questions remain some of which could be answered through new cores from the deepest mediterranean basins improvements in seismic imaging and drilling techniques over the last few decades make it possible to plan to core the entire basinal messinian succession for the first time the resulting data would allow us to decipher the causes of this extreme environmental change and its global scale consequences

thrust wrench interference tectonics in the gulf of cadiz africa iberia plate boundary in the north east atlantic insights from analog models abstract in the gulf of cadiz key segment of the africa iberia plate boundary north east atlantic ocean three main different modes of tectonic interference between a recently identified wrench system swim and the gulf of cadiz accretionary wedge gcaw were tested through analog sand box modeling a an active accretionary wedge on top of a pre existent inactive basement fault b an active strike slip fault cutting a previously formed inactive accretionary wedge and c simultaneous activity of both the accretionary wedge and the strike slip fault the results we obtained and the comparison with the natural deformation pattern favor a tectonic evolution comprising two main steps i the formation of the gulf of cadiz accretionary wedge on top of inactive tethyan related basement faults middle miocene to 1 8 ma ii subsequent reactivation of these basement faults with dextral strike slip motion 1 8 ma to present simultaneously with continued tectonic accretion in the gcaw these results exclude the possibility of ongoing active swim wrench system cross cutting an inactive gcaw structure our results also support a new interpretation of the swim wrench system as fundamentally resulting from strike slip reactivation of an old tethyan related plate boundary

shape and intrusion style of the coastal batholith peru abstract the coastal batholith of peru extends over 1600 km parallel to the coast along the andean trend gravity profiles on three traverses across the batholith indicate the geometry is essentially that of a flat slab with average thickness from 2 0 3 2 km and a thick root 4 10 km wide to the west granitic material does not extend to depths greater than 3 km below sea level datum this study supports recent gravity work which indicates plutons are commonly thin 5 km or less in thickness detailed mapping in the lima segment of the coastal batholith reveals thin plutons where space was made dominantly by downward displacement via floor depression however early roof uplift also created some space stoping occurs but is not a major space maker floor depression may be modelled by cantilever or piston mechanisms and although the strong marginal deformation with mylonites tuffisites microbreccia faults and shear zones suggests the piston model best describes the mechanism of emplacement of much of the coastal batholith some space was probably made by a cantilever mechanism in brief space making processes involved early roof uplift and regional doming then floor depression mainly by piston and probably subsidiary cantilever mechanisms and finally local stoping producing the cut out rectilinear nature of the batholith the coastal batholith formed on shallow partial melting of hydrous basaltic marginal basin rocks between 5 and 10 km floor depression occurred as the crustal column foundered into an actively deflating layer of partial melt this is an efficient space making process and is limited here to shallow levels of the upper crust only the melts ascended to within 2 or 3 km of the surface up dyke like conduits then spread horizontally to form tabular plutons

high resolution stratigraphy of the mediterranean outflow contourite system in the gulf of cadiz during the late pleistocene the impact of heinrich events abstract a detailed high resolution stratigraphic analysis of the mediterranean outflow contourite system at the continental slope of the gulf of cadiz has been carried out through the correlation between a dense network of seismic reflection profiles sparker airgun 3 75 khz and parametric echosounder topas calypso giant piston and standard gravity cores from such correlation we determine a stacking pattern constituted by four main seismic units a d that are internally structured into ten subunits each subunit shows a single sequence formed by transparent seismic facies at the base to smooth parallel reflectors of moderate to high amplitude facies at the top being well correlated in the cores with a coarsening upward sequence the latest pleistocene holocene deposits form glacial interglacial depositional sequences related to cycles with a frequency range below the milankovitch band that corresponds to millennial timescale climatic changes such as dansgaard oeschger 1 5 ka and bond cycles 10 15 ka oxygen isotope records of planktonic foraminifera and the occurrence of ice rafted debris ird in the most recent contourite subunits show clear evidence of the influence of the north atlantic climatic conditions especially the climatic heinrich events h in the slope sedimentation of the gulf of cadiz and then in the circulation of the mediterranean outflow water mow the coarser contourite deposits are mostly associated with the last glacial maximum younger dryas and heinrich events on the central area of the middle slope during globally cooler conditions the mow was denser so that it was more active in deeper areas than today on the other hand during warm periods the mow became less dense favoring an increased intensity of the mow on the distal area of the upper slope therefore spatial and vertical fluctuations of the mow contourite system are strongly affected by global climate and oceanographic changes being clearly influenced by iceberg discharges and probably also by the resumption of thermohaline circulation in the north atlantic ocean during ice melting periods

convergence structures of the peru trench between 10 s and 14 s abstract high resolution seafloor studies of the peru trench between 10 s and 14 s with the gloria long range side scan sonar system show that the nazca plate is broken by numerous normal faults as it bends into the trench these bending induced faults strike subparallel to the trench axis and overprint and cut across spreading fabric structures of the plate they commonly form grabens having widths and spacings of 3 5 km and extend for as much as 100 km along strike vertical displacements are generally 200 m or more by the time they reach the trench axis turbidite deposits are found in the trench north of 11 5 s both turbidite and pelagic sediments are folded and temporarily accreted to the base of the overriding plate along the length of the trench axis they are apparently subsequently implaced in the grabens by slumping and subducted with the nazca plate the mendana fracture zone which intersects the trench between 9 40 s and 10 35 s appears to be the locus of a seaward propagating rift that is forming in response to subduction induced extensional stresses in the nazca plate

structure of the frontal part of the andean convergent margin a multichannel seismic reflection record across the central peru margin and trench was improved by processing 24 rather than the 12 channels previously processed and by thorough migrating to reject the strong diffractions that obscured weaker primary reflections the increased resolution clarifies the structure of the 15 km wide frontal accretionary complex and the adjacent truncated continental framework against which the trench sediment was imbricated resolved are individual thrust slices and packets adjacent to the trench axis subducting sediment filled graben in the ocean crust beneath the lower slope and a tertiary stratigraphic section of the upper slope yaquina basin which is cut by normal faults the resolution in this multichannel record provides criteria for reinterpreting single channel data off chile with increased confidence the previously proposed truncation of the south american continent along much of the peru chile trench is confirmed and the development of an accretionary complex in front of the truncated continental crust appears to vary with the amount of sediment seen in the trench axis the andean margin frontal structure is similar to that off central america the aleutian trench and the japan trench which suggests common truncation as well as accretion at the front of convergent margins

water depth and diagenetic constraints on the use of barium as a palaeoproductivity indicator sediments underneath the high productivity areas of the coastal upwclling and equatorial divergence zones in the pacific and indian oceans are enriched in barium and on this basis the barium content of the sediments has long been suggested as a potential palaeoproductivity indicator analyses of sediments from the peru margin corroborate the pattern of enhanced barium accumulation in areas of high primary productivity in the deep ocean but also show that this pattern cannot be extended to shallow water deposits sediments from the peru shelf lack any barium enrichment whereas this element is significantly enriched in slope and basinal deposits in water columns deeper than 2000 m this depth effect is further illustrated at site 682 located in the rapidly subsiding lima basin the quaternary sequence deposited at water depths 3000 m is enriched in organic carbon opal and biogenic barium the miocene sediments although deposited under highly productive waters associated with a coastal upwclling centre do not show an enrichment in the barium record corresponding to the very high organic carbon and opal levels a pattern that is consistent with deposition in shallow basins in addition to the effect of water depth on the barium distribution overprinting of primary signals can be observed in sediments from upwclling areas undergoing strong anoxic diagenesis microcrystalline barite is partly dissolved in intervals depleted in interstitial sulphate as shown for sediments from the peru margin dissolution of barite in sulphate depleted intervals of deep water sections leads to high barium concentrations near the termination of the sulphate reducing zone where downward sulphate and upward barium diffusion foster local barite precipitation in diagenetic fronts the barium distribution in sedimentary oxic and suboxic environments at deep water depositional sites has a high potential as a palaeoproductivity indicator however barium accumulation as a proxy for ocean fertility should be used with caution in areas of varying water depths and in anoxic diagenetic environments where sulphate depletion undcrsatur ates the interstitial waters with respect to barite

contour current driven continental slope situated sandwaves with effects from secondary current processes on the barents sea margin offshore norway abstract seabed data acquired from the southern barents sea continental margin offshore norway reveal detailed morphology of large sandwave fields multibeam echosounder bathymetry and backscatter shallow seismic sediment samples and seabed video data collected by the mareano program have been used to describe and interpret the morphology distribution and transport of the sandwaves the bedforms lie on a slope dominated by relict glacial forms and muddy sandy gravelly sediments sandwave migration across small gravity mass failures of the glacial mud constrains the field initiation as early post glacial or later the contour parallel nature of the fields and crestlines normal to the bathymetry contours and the geostrophic norwegian atlantic current nwac demonstrate that the nnw flowing oceanographic circulation is the primary driving current the fields coincide with the depth range at which a transition between warm saline and underlying cooler less saline waters fluctuate across the seabed statistically rigorous measurements of height width and various parameters of slope and symmetry confirm a tendency to downstream nnw sandwave migration but with significant exceptions anomalous bedform symmetry domains within the fields are tuned to meso scale topography along relict glacial debris flow chutes indicating current focusing upstream and upper slope derived winnowed sand transport eroded from the glacial sediments is the supposed source sandwave flank slope values are comparable to the regional slope such that the gravitational vector would have a cumulative downslope migration affect unless balanced by upslope drivers perpendicular cross cutting of stoss face 3 d ripples by linear 2 d ripples in the sandwave troughs and lee faces is evidence for non synchronous episodic current variations though deep ekman transport and internal wave action are unproven here these could explain chute related tuning of bedform symmetry through funneling in the debris flow chutes and favor sand recycling thus contributing to long term maintenance of the sandwave field

a contourite depositional system along the uruguayan continental margin sedimentary oceanographic and paleoceanographic implications abstract for the first time a multidisciplinary approach to evaluate the influence of bottom currents in the uruguayan continental margin is presented bathymetric data and multichannel 2d and 3d seismic reflection profiles were used to construct a morphosedimentary map to interpret and decode sedimentary and oceanographic processes along the uruguayan continental margin based on these results an extensive contourite depositional system on the margin is described which contains an impressive array of large erosive depositional drifts and mixed terrace features which have been generated primarily by the near bottom flows associated with water masses of antarctic and subantarctic origin from the eocene oligocene boundary up to present time the long term influence of water masses from higher southern latitudes in combination with down slope sedimentary processes have strongly controlled the overall margin morphology most of the features described here were formed during the middle late miocene epoch due to paleoceanographic shifts that include the arrival of antarctic intermediate water along the margin which in combination with deeper antarctic bottom water are fundamental in the margin evolution in combination with quaternary climatic and eustatic changes in sea level fluctuations of the brazil malvinas confluence influenced subsequently glacial and interglacial stages as recognized in sedimentary features defined here these paleoceanographic changes controlled the sedimentary stacking pattern and the locations of high amplitude reflections along the contourite terraces which could be associated with sandy deposits a more detailed understanding of the margin will improve interpretations of variations in the south atlantic subtropical gyre and further constrain general climatic and ocean circulation models

eddy generation in the mediterranean undercurrent abstract in the framework of the european union mast iii project canary islands gibraltar azores observations 24 rafos floats were deployed in the mediterranean water mw undercurrent off south portugal between september 1997 and september 1998 a preliminary analysis of this lagrangian approach complemented with xbt and current meter data show some of the major aspects of the flow associated with the undercurrent as well as associated eddy activity floats that stayed in the undercurrent featured a downstream deceleration and a steering by bottom topography three meddy formations at cape st vincent could be isolated from the float data the dynamical coupling of meddies and cyclones was observed for a considerable period of time the generation of two dipolar structures in the portimao canyon region also was observed with the float data a major bathymetric relief gorringe bank was not only an important constraint to the eddy trajectories and of the flow at the mw levels but also a site for meddy formation

the mediterranean outflow splitting a comparison between theoretical models and canigo data abstract the mediterranean outflow in the atlantic is vertically subdivided into two main cores that are identified by temperature and salinity maxima hydrological data collected west of the strait of gibraltar and off the south and south west coasts of portugal in september 1997 have been used in two different models to shed some light on the mechanisms that cause a splitting of the mediterranean outflow these models are i a steady one dimensional streamtube model and ii a local time dependent model that includes cross stream variations the streamtube model applied at the northern respectively the southern part of the outflow appears capable of reproducing the observed density difference between the two cores the vertical separation however was underestimated the results from the local model suggest that a bump in the bottom topography may be a determining factor for the splitting tendency of the flow

evidence for enhanced mediterranean thermohaline circulation during rapid climatic coolings molecular biomarkers c37 alkenones n nonacosane and n hexacosanol and toc are used together with benthic 18o and 13c data to document the hydrographic response of the western mediterranean sea to rapid climatic variability these proxies are recorded in core md 95 2043 alboran sea affording the study of the dansgaard oeschger d o and heinrich he variability during the last glacial period the results suggest that rapid changes in the western mediterranean thermohaline circulation occurred in parallel to sea surface temperature oscillations enhanced deep water ventilation occurred during cold intervals he and d o stadials probably driven by a strengthening of north westerly wind over the north western mediterranean sea in contrast decreased intensity of the thermohaline circulation is detected during warm intervals d o interstadials which led to low oxygenated deep water masses and better preservation of the organic matter in the sediment

nd isotopic composition of water masses and dilution of the mediterranean outflow along the southwest european margin nd isotopic compositions epsilon nd of seawater profiles and deep sea corals collected off the coast of iberia and from the bay of biscay were measured 1 to constrain the nd isotopic composition of water masses along the southwest european margin 2 to track the mediterranean outflow water mow during its northward propagation and 3 to establish hydrological changes during the last 1500 years the eastern north atlantic central water enacw is characterized by nd isotopic composition of around 12 0 mediterranean sea water msw is collected from 800 and 1200 m depth and is characterized by epsilon nd values ranging from 10 9 off the coast of iberia to 11 6 in the bay of biscay these epsilon nd results suggest a strong dilution of the pure mow at the strait of gibraltar epsilon nd 9 4 of approximately 40 and 30 along its northward circulation pathway essentially with a contribution from enacw at around 2000 m depth epsilon nd water profiles display the occurrence of a nonradiogenic water mass epsilon nd 13 originating from the labrador sea labrador sea water fossil deep sea corals dated between 84 and 1500 years display nd isotopic compositions that vary moderately from present day seawater values suggesting a weaker influence of mow in the formation of msw during the dark ages and the little ice age these recent cold events seem to be associated with a reduction in the northward penetration of msw which may result from a greater eastward extension of the middepth subpolar gyre and or a reduction of msw formation likely tied to a variation in deep mediterranean water production

stratigraphic architecture and spatio temporal variability of high frequency milankovitch depositional cycles on modern continental margins an overview abstract this study is a review of quaternary milankovitch cycles as recorded on modern continental shelves worldwide on the background of the many existing examples we focus on selected case studies from mediterranean adriatic and tyrrhenian seas and atlantic gulfs of mexico and cadiz margins that represent general and peculiar characters of middle upper pleistocene sequences forming under the control of composite 100 and 20 ka milankovitch cycles the most pervasive stratigraphic pattern displayed by shelf deposits is referred to the 100 ka sea level cycle and consists of fairly uniform depositional sequences mostly composed by regressive deposits forming during the falling limb of the sea level curve these are generally classified as falling stage systems tract fsst and display a regressive facies architecture reflecting the dominant control of sea level on many margins fsst units may show slight though significant differences with respect to highstand systems tract hst and lowstand systems tract lst regressive units more closely reflecting environmental changes and the local variability of depositional systems in contrast with the theoretical and overall scale independent model developed to predict composite stratigraphic cycles and sequences the middle upper pleistocene stratigraphic record from numerous shelf settings shows a subdued signature of the higher frequency 20 ka milankovitch cyclicity however when detectable the 20 ka architectural pattern is characterized by a relatively greater spatial and temporal variability compared to 100 ka sequences this fact likely reflects the increasing importance of factors controlling the depositional environment e g seafloor morphology oceanographic regime sediment input and dispersal etc with respect to sea level change during the shorter intervals encompassed by 20 ka cycles on this basis two end member cases have been distinguished depending on the generation or not of high frequency sequence boundaries a prerequisite to qualify the higher frequency motifs as depositional sequences these two end members are comprehensive of the highly variable patterns displayed by middle upper pleistocene shelf sequences which in turn reflect the interplay between the geological setting the dominant sea level control and the effective response of sedimentary systems the variable stratigraphic patterns of milankovitch cycles represent conceptual and practical constraints as to the classification of high frequency quaternary sequences under the general schemes of the standard sequence stratigraphy model

aminostratigraphy of peruvian and chilean quaternary marine terraces amino acid enantiomeric ratio d l data for over 200 molluscs from pleistocene marine terraces on the coast of peru and chile are reported they are used to evaluate the utility of this dating method for terraces in this region analyzed samples represent both local relative age sequences and regionally correlative deposits identified over a broad latitude range 14 310s aminozones are defined on the basis of data for protothaca supplemented with results for mulinia and other genera electron spin resonance esr data serve to calibrate two aminozones from peru ca 15 s as being correlative with oxygen isotope stages 5 and 7 of the marine isotope record the latitudinal trends of enantiomeric ratios for stage 5 samples plotted against current mean annual temperature cmat are similar to those observed for protothaca from the north american pacific coast the sea level record preserved in the peru chile terraces is complex and usually not clearly resolved geomorphically typical uplift rates of 0 1 0 2 m ka are inferred from terrace age and elevation data with higher rates being observed where the nazca ridge is being subducted beneath the coast at about 15 s evidence of terrace reoccupation by sea levels with substantially different ages is found at several sites of apparent low uplift

shallow subduction zone earthquakes and their tsunamigenic potential summary we have examined the source spectra of all shallow subduction zone earthquakes from 1992 to 1996 with moment magnitude 7 0 or greater as well as some other interesting events in the period range 1 20 s by computing moment rate functions of teleseismic p waves after comparing the source spectral characteristics of tsunami earthquakes earthquakes that are followed by tsunamis greater than would be expected from their moment magnitude with regular events we identified a subclass of this group slow tsunami earthquakes this subclass consists of the 1992 nicaragua the 1994 java and the february 1996 peru earthquakes we found that these events have an anomalously low energy release in the 1 20 s frequency band with respect to their moment magnitude although their spectral drop ov is comparable to those of the other earthquakes from an investigation of the centroid and body wave locations it appears that most earthquakes in this study conformed to a simple model in which the earthquake nucleates in a zone of compacted and dehydrated sediments and ruptures up dip until the stable sliding friction regime of unconsolidated sediments stops the propagation sedimentstarved trenches e g near jalisco can produce very shallow slip because the fault material supports unstable sliding the slow tsunami earthquakes also ruptured up dip however their centroid is located unusually close to the trench axis the subduction zones in which these events occurred all have a small accretionary prism and a thin layer of subducting sediment ocean surveys show that in these regions the ocean floor close to the trench is highly faulted we suggest that the horst and graben structure of a rough subducting oceanic plate will cause contact zones with the overriding plate making shallow earthquake nucleation and up dip propagation to the ocean floor possible the rupture partly propagates in sediments making the earthquake source process slow two factors have to be considered in the high tsunami generating potential of these events first the slip propagates to shallow depths in low rigidity material causing great deformation and displacement of a large volume of water second the measured seismic moment may not represent the true earthquake displacement because the elastic constants of the source region are not taken into account in the standard cmt determination

basement slivers within the new britain accretionary wedge implications for the emplacement of some ophiolitic slivers using multichannel seismic data from the western solomon sea we have imaged several 2 5 to 3 km thick oceanic basement slivers within the new britain accretionary wedge which may serve as a modern analogue for the detachment of some ophiolitic slivers the most recently accreted basement sliver is located just over 5 km from the thrust front an approximate area balance indicates the subjacent section of the downgoing plate from which this sliver originated is between 11 km and 15 km arcward of its present position though we have not imaged the basement ramp sedimentary strata beneath the basement sliver pinch out between 9 and 12 km from its seaward edge suggesting that detachment occurred in that vicinity normal faults reactivated in response to the flexural bending of the downgoing oceanic plate are a prominent feature of this region significantly almost all basement normal faults near the recently accreted basement sliver including those imaged beneath the toe of the wedge dip arcward based on these data we suggest that small 1 3 km thick basement slivers are decoupled along favorably oriented preexisting zones of weakness formed by normal fault detachments within the oceanic basement

late quaternary multi genetic processes and products on the northern gulf of cadiz upper continental slope sw iberian peninsula abstract on continental margins the upper slope to shelf break environment forms a critical region where sediment supply hydrographic activity and gravitational processes determine how and when sediments are partitioned between the shallow and deep marine realm on the sw iberian margin relatively few studies have addressed the dynamics of this region although it holds key information regarding the link between the sedimentary evolution of the continental shelf and the contourite depositional system on the middle slope this work therefore presents a high resolution analysis of the morphological and stratigraphic expressions of late quaternary dominantly last glacial and present day interglacial sedimentary processes on the upper slope and shelf margin sector between 7 and 7 30 w the integration of seismic bathymetric and hydrographic data reveals the presence of alongslope processes and products a bottom current related plastered drift moat erosional surface and terrace an internal wave tide controlled sediment wave field downslope gravitational processes and products an upper slope shelf margin valley system slumps debrites gullies neotectonic elements diapirs and fluid flow features pockmarks bright spots the spatial distribution of these features indicates that the study area becomes increasingly alongslope dominated towards the w and oppositely more downslope dominated towards the e because sediment supply to the latter area is enhanced under the dominant eastward dispersal of fluvially supplied sediments on the shelf in addition glacial interglacial variations in the amount of sediments supplied to the shelf edge and the intensity of oceanographic processes in the study area also generate a distinct temporal variability with glacial and interglacial intervals respectively recording principally downslope and alongslope controlled morphological elements finally regardless of these overall spatial and temporal patterns diapirism and fluid flow are inferred to locally destabilize sediments and induce small scale mass wasting in the study area these findings are not only relevant to the northern gulf of cadiz but also to the general understanding of sedimentary dynamics and controls in mixed downslope and alongslope controlled upper slope to shelf margin settings worldwide

new gps constraints on active deformation along the africa iberia plate boundary abstract we use velocities from 65 continuous stations and 31 survey mode gps sites as well as kinematic modeling to investigate present day deformation along the africa iberia plate boundary zone in the western mediterranean region the gps velocity field shows southwestward motion of the central part of the rif mountains in northern morocco with respect to africa varying between 3 5 and 4 0 mm yr consistent with prior published results stations in the southwestern part of the betic mountains of southern spain move west southwest with respect to eurasia 2 3 mm yr the western component of betics motion is consistent with partial transfer of nubia eurasia plate motion into the southern betics the southward component of betics motion with respect to iberia is kinematically consistent with south to southwest motion of the rif mountains with respect to africa we use block modeling constrained by mapped surface faults and seismicity to estimate the geometry and rates of strain accumulation on plate boundary structures our preferred plate boundary geometry includes one block between iberia and africa including the sw betics alboran sea and central rif this geometry provides a good fit to the observed motions suggesting a wide transpressive boundary in the westernmost mediterranean with deformation mainly accommodated by the gloria azores fault system to the west and the rif tell lineament to the east block boundaries encompass aspects of earlier interpretations suggesting three main deformation styles i extension along the ne sw trending trans alboran shear zone ii dextral strike slip in the betics corresponding to a well defined e w seismic lineament and iii right lateral strike slip motion extending west to the azores and right lateral motion with compression extending east along the algerian tell we interpret differential motion in the rif alboran betic system to be driven both by surface processes related the africa eurasia oblique convergence and sub crustal dynamic processes associated with the long history of subduction of the neotethys ocean lithosphere the dextral slip identified in the betic mountains in southern spain may be related to the offshore fault that produced the great 1755 lisbon earthquake and as such may represent a significant seismic hazard for the west mediterranean region

mediterranean outflow strengthening during northern hemisphere coolings a salt source for the glacial atlantic abstract high resolution grain size and magnetic susceptibility records from the eastern gulf of cadiz site md99 2339 1170 m water depth reveal contourites formed by the mediterranean outflow mow during the last 47 kyr bp oscillations in the mow s intensity occurred in phase with greenland temperature variations with a stronger outflow during northern hemisphere coolings such as dansgaard oeschger stadials heinrich events and the younger dryas benthic 13c data implies the western mediterranean deep water as one of the main sources feeding the outflow current while differential changes in the properties of the mediterranean source and entrained north atlantic central water largely control the mow s strength detailed studies for heinrich events 1 4 and 5 show that the flow strength peaked only when subtropical surface waters prevailed in the eastern gulf of cadiz while incursions of icebergs and subpolar surface water were not favorable for the mow s intensification as the mow was strong when the atlantic s thermohaline circulation thc was weakened the heat and salt injected by the mow into the intermediate north atlantic waters might have preconditioned the thc to switch from the stadial to the interstadial mode

bedform velocity matrix the estimation of bottom current velocity from bedform observations a wide variety of bedforms both depositional and erosional in origin has been recognized on the deep seafloor and attributed to the influence of bottom currents these range in scale from those visible in bottom photographs centimeter to decimeter to those recorded with seafloor bathymetric imaging meter to kilometer in many cases it has been possible to provide some quantification of substrate grain size and flow velocity responsible for each bedform type we have synthesized both our own and published data in order to present a bedform velocity matrix which facilitates the estimation of bottom current velocity based on bedform type despite imperfections we believe this to be a valuable model for assessing strength and variability of bottom currents that can have a significant influence on the siting of submarine cables pipelines and other seafloor installations

extensional tectonics in the honshu fore arc japan integrated results of dsdp legs 57 87 and reprocessed multichannel seismic reflection profiles

crustal structure of the middle american trench off costa rica from wide angle seismic data off costa rica seismic wide angle experiments were made using marine seismic sources of high shot density and ocean bottom hydrophones obh and land stations for recording three profiles perpendicular to the middle american trench mat and one parallel to it are presented here the coverage from closely spaced obh and structural constraints from the coincident near vertical reflection seismic survey provided detailed velocity depth distributions over 4 0 km s velocities were found directly underlying the thick continental margin sediment in a margin wedge that extends from below the coastal area seaward within 10 km from the mat axis the interpretation of the wide angle data required a low velocity zone lvz between the upper and lower plate indicating its nature as subducted and underplated sediment the velocity depth distributions support the hypothesis that the continental margin wedge off costa rica is most likely an offshore extension of the nicoya complex ophiolitic rocks which are exposed along the coast the subduction of the sediments seems very efficient and the accretionary prism appears to be confined to the lower slope

deformation of the central andes 15 27 s derived from a flow model of subduction zones a simple viscous flow model of a subduction zone is used to calculate the deformation within continental lithosphere above a subducting slab our formulation accounts for two forces that dominate the deformation in the overriding lithosphere tectonic forces and buoyancy forces the tectonic forces arise from the subduction of oceanic lithosphere and produce minor extension in the lithosphere near the trench and compression farther inland buoyancy forces can induce horizontal pressure gradients due to variations in crustal thickness which cause lithospheric extension where the crust is thick numerical solutions obtained by using a finite element technique are compared with observations from the central andes 15 27 s the model predicts the observed deformation pattern of extension in the forearc compression in the western monocline corresponding to magmatic activity extension in the altiplano compression in the eastern monocline and subandes and no deformation in the brazilian shield by comparing the calculated solutions with the large scale tectonic observations we are able to evaluate the forces that govern the deformation in the central andes the approximately constant subduction velocity in the past 26 m y suggests that the rate of crustal shortening in the andes has decreased with time due to the thickening of the crust

the betic orogen and the iberian african boundary in the gulf of cadiz geological evolution central north atlantic abstract the study of the gulf of cadiz on the basis of multichannel seismic profiles and wells illustrates the stratigraphy and tectonics the evolution of the southern iberian margins was more complex than in most north atlantic margins since it entailed several phases of rifting convergence and strike slip motions three main tectonic provinces surround the internal zones of the gibraltar arc orogenic belt these include in the iberian margin of the gulf of cadiz the flysch units of the campo de gibraltar complex the betic external zones and the neogene basins of the guadalquivir valley fault bounded blocks of flysch and subbetic units crops out over large areas of the southeastern iberian shelf the basement of the northwestern area in contrast is represented by the paleozoic rocks of the hercynian massif of iberia half graben structures determined the main structural trends of the margin during the mesozoic which were affected by inversion structures during the neogene compressional stages the mesozoic and lower cenozoic units are best observed in wells and seismic profiles from the northern area these units are either obscure below a thick olistostrome deposit or are absent in most of the rest of the gulf of cadiz seven lithoseismic units from triassic to upper oligocene and another seven neogene and quaternary units are identified based on the relationship to the depositional sequence and the emplacement of the olistostrome the first tectonic phase was characterized by a passive margin which was controlled by the development of half graben extensional structures and carbonate platforms this evolution comprises the mesozoic and early cenozoic ocean spreading in the north atlantic induced extensional tectonics which deformed the cretaceous syn tectonic post aptian deposits increased amounts of terrigenous materials were supplied to the margin from aptian to albian times controlling depositional patterns while terrigenous siliciclastic facies replaced the jurassic carbonate platforms from middle eocene to early miocene the margin was influenced by the relative motions of iberia and africa and the development of the alpine orogeny the iberian african boundary in the gulf of cadiz experienced transpression and the mesozoic basins probably underwent subduction the emplacement of an olistostrome took place in the gulf of cadiz towards the central atlantic basin plains during the tortonian the end of the olistostrome emplacement during the late miocene coincides with accelerated tectonic subsidence while thick progradational and aggradational depositional sequences were developed the occurrence of closely juxtaposed regions of compression and extension during the miocene may reflect the westwards progression of the gibraltar arc mountain front over a subducting thinned tethys crust when the motion between iberian and africa was n s to nnw sse oriented the migration of the arcuate mountain front into the eastern gulf of cadiz is attributed to a mechanism of collision induced delamination of the mantle lithosphere in contrast to the betic rif belts however there is no geophysical evidence to postulate that continental collision took place in the gulf of cadiz during the cenozoic

quaternary stratigraphic stacking patterns on the continental shelves of the southern iberian peninsula their relationship with global climate and palaeoceanographic changes abstract a quaternary stratigraphic stacking pattern on the continental shelves of the southern iberian peninsula has been determined by analysing and comparing a dense network of low medium high and very high resolution mono channel and multi channel reflection seismic lines and well log data four major low resolution depositional sequences related to a 3rd order cycle at 1 4 1 6 ma have been recognised in the pliocene quaternary sedimentary record m p1 p2 p3 q i and q ii they are separated by four discontinuities corresponding to the most drastic changes in climate and palaeoceanography affecting the atlantic and mediterranean linkage and especially to the most prominent sea level falls in the messinian m at 5 5 ma in the lower pliocene at 4 2 ma in the upper pliocene at 2 4 ma and in the mid pleistocene at 900 920 ka mpr these major sequences were built up by asymmetrical sea level cycles the regressive and lowstand system tracts are the best developed deposits controlling the main progradation of the shelf basinwards as well the quaternary shelf stratigraphy can be divided into asymmetric 3rd order sequences of 800 ka q i and q ii and into 4th order asymmetric sequences of approximately 400 ka q1 q4 200 ka a h and 100 ka on low medium and high resolution seismics the overall architectural stacking of the shelf shows a change after the mpr discontinuity characterised by well differentiated sequences of shelf break wedges with progradational sigmoid configurations assumed to be related to approximately 100 ka sea level cycles this change in the configuration of the shelf wedges during the quaternary is attributed to the onset of the 100 ka eccentricity orbital cycles which abruptly increased the amplitude of sea level variations 100 120 m during the last 900 920 ka

crustal structure of the peruvian continental margin from wide angle seismic studies keine zusammenfassung in englischer sprache vorhanden no summary in english language