Styles of continental margin sedimentation: comparing glaciated and non-glaciated slope systems using case studies on the southeast Canadian and northern Argentine and Uruguay continental slope

Abstract

Continental slope sedimentation is in generally driven by climate and the oceanographic setting along a margin. This work compares slope architecture of the glaciated Scotian Slope to the nonglaciated northern Argentine slope. On the Scotian Slope, a new seismic stratigraphy was used to identify variations in patterns of slope sedimentation. The Early Quaternary is characterized by few mass transport deposits (MTDs) and deposition occurs at the lower slope, whereas towards the younger glaciated sequence, much larger MTDs characterize slope sedimentation. On the Argentine Slope, sedimentation patterns are driven by along- and downslope processes. At times of large Pleistocene storm events at the shelf break, sediment may be supplied to the slope from the shelf. By comparing these slope systems, general ideas of slope deposition were developed. Glaciations have a severe impact on slope systems compared to non-glaciated margins and compared to glaciated slopes during pre-glacial times.