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The Gulf of Cadiz: an unstable giant contouritic levee

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Abstract

Recent multibeam bathymetry and acoustic imagery data provide a new understanding of the sedimentary system located in the Gulf of Cadiz which is under the influence of a strong current, the Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW). When it comes out from the Strait of Gibraltar, the MOW is either channelled along major or secondary channels, or spills over a sedimentary levee. Frequent earthquakes and the constant current shearing generate widespread sediment deformation and instability of contourite deposits. Secondary channels can form by retrogression following an initial failure. At their mouth, sediment accumulates in the form of small sandy contourite lobes. These observations suggest that the Gulf of Cadiz system shares many similarities with channel–levee complexes formed by turbidity current activity. The main difference is that, in the Gulf of Cadiz, the main process is a strongly flowing saline current which locally interacts with gravity processes.

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Acknowledgements

We thank GENAVIR and the crew of the RV "Le Suroît" for technical assistance during the Cadisar cruise, D.J.W. Piper and an anonymous reviewer for constructive remarks on the manuscript, and the editors of Geo-Marine Letters for polishing of the English. UMR CNRS 5805 contribution number 1463.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département de Géologie et Océanographie, UMR 5805 EPOC, Université Bordeaux 1, Avenue des Facultés, 33405 Talence cedex, France

    T. Mulder, P. Lecroart, E. Gonthier, V. Hanquiez, J.-C. Faugères, D. Poirier & J. Morel

  2. IFREMER, DRO/GM, Centre de Brest, B.P. 70, 29280 Plouzané, France

    M. Voisset & E. Le Drezen

  3. Challenger Division for Seafloor Processes, Southampton Oceanography Centre, Empress Dock, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK

    E. Habgood & N. H. Kenyon

  4. Dpto. de Geociencias Marinas, Facultad de Ciencias, 36200 Vigo (Pontevedra), Spain

    F. J. Hernandez-Molina

  5. CSIC, Instituto de Ciencas del mar, Paseo Juan de Borbon s/n, 08039 Barcelona, Spain

    F. Estrada

  6. Servicio de Geologia Marina, Instituto Geologico y Minero, C/Rios Rosas 23, 28003 Madrid, Spain

    E. Llave-Barranco

  7. Bâtiment SN5, Université Lille 1, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq cedex, France

    C. Gorini

  8. Département de Géologie, Université de Genève, 13 rue des maraîchers, 1211 Genève, Switzerland

    Y. Fuchey

  9. Departamento de Geologia Marinha, Instituto geologico e Mineiro, Estrada de Portela, Zambujal, 2720 Alfragide, Portugal

    A. Voelker & P. Freitas

  10. CIACOMAR, Universidade do Algarve, Avenidas Forças Armadas s/n. , 8700 Olhao, Portugal

    F. Lobo Sanchez

  11. Instituto Espanol de Oceanografia, c/o Corazon de Maria 8, 5 planta, 28002 Madrid, Spain

    L. M. Fernandez

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  1. T. Mulder
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  2. M. Voisset
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Correspondence to T. Mulder.

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Mulder, T., Voisset, M., Lecroart, P. et al. The Gulf of Cadiz: an unstable giant contouritic levee. Geo-Mar Lett 23, 7–18 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-003-0119-0

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