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Geological Society, London, Special Publications; 1984; v. 15; p. 311-318;
DOI: 10.1144/GSL.SP.1984.015.01.20
© 1984 Geological Society of London

Hemipelagites and Associated Facies of Slopes and Slope Basins

Facies and sequence analysis of Nova Scotian Slope muds: turbidite vs ‘hemipelagic’ deposition

P. R. Hill

Department of Geology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3J5
Atlantic Geoscience Centre, P.O. Box 1006, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada B2Y 4A2

Five fine-grained mud facies were identified in piston-cores obtained from the Nova Scotian Slope. The sedimentary structures of the muds indicated deposition under varying bottom-current conditions and rates of sediment supply. Two facies associations were recognized using Markov sequence analysis: (a) turbidite and (b) non-turbidite associations. The problems of recognizing turbidite, contourite and hemipelagic deposits in fine-grained sequences are discussed in the context of low-concentration, low-velocity flows. The dynamics of unconfined flows indicates that turbidity currents become unstable and are deflected by Coriolis to near contour-parallel flow. Dilution and deceleration of the flow may produce a transition to hemipelagic-type deposition. Transitions of this type within individual flows make recognition of discrete turbidite, contourite or hemipelagic processes very difficult in parts of the geological record.