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Monterey Fan: Growth pattern control by basin morphology and changing sea levels

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Abstract

Monterey Fan is the largest modern fan off the California shore. Two main submarine canyon systems feed it via a complex pattern of fan valleys and channels. The northern Ascension Canyon system is relatively inactive during high sea-level periods. In contrast, Monterey Canyon and its tributaries to the south cut across the shelf and remain active during high sea level. Deposition on the upper fan is controlled primarily by the relative activity within these two canyon systems. Deposition over the rest of the fan is controlled by the oceanic crust topography, resulting in an irregular fan shape and periodic major shifts in the locus of deposition.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, 94025, Menlo Park, CA

    William R. Normark, C. E. Gutmacher & T. E. Chase

  2. Marine Sciences Group, Department of Paleontology, University of California, 94720, Berkeley, CA

    Pat Wilde

Authors
  1. William R. Normark
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  2. C. E. Gutmacher
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  3. T. E. Chase
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  4. Pat Wilde
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Normark, W.R., Gutmacher, C.E., Chase, T.E. et al. Monterey Fan: Growth pattern control by basin morphology and changing sea levels. Geo-Marine Letters 3, 93–99 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02462453

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02462453

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