TY - JOUR

T1 - Variable downcanyon morphology controlling the recent activity of shelf-incised submarine canyons (Alboran Sea, western Mediterranean)

AU - Cerrillo-Escoriza, J.

AU - Lobo, F. J.

AU - Puga-Bernabéu, null

AU - Bárcenas, P.

AU - Mendes, I.

AU - Pérez-Asensio, J. N.

AU - Durán, R.

AU - Andersen, T. J.

AU - Carrión-Torrente, null

AU - García, M.

AU - López-Quirós, A.

AU - Luján, M.

AU - Mena, A.

AU - Sánchez-Guillamón, O.

AU - Sánchez, M. J.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Authors

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - This research aims to distinguish genetic sedimentary processes building canyon geomorphological patterns and the factors driving different sedimentary activities in two nearby Mediterranean shelf-incised submarine canyons (Carchuna and Motril) that exhibit different degrees of incision on the narrow margin of the northern Alboran Sea. The straight Carchuna Canyon incises the shelf up to 200 m off the coastline and exhibit steep canyon walls featuring narrow terraces, muddy sands with high contents of organic matter along the thalweg, and transported shelf benthic foraminifera in distal settings. The Motril Canyon head is wider and incises the shelf edge, ca. 2 km off the coastline. It exhibits a sinuous morphology and less steep walls, wider terraces, and higher sedimentation rates with muddy sediments along the thalweg. In both canyons, cross-section relief, width, incision, and area decrease downslope, although these parameters increase locally. The downslope variations of geomorphological parameters are attributed to enhanced erosional/depositional processes promoted by tectonically controlled abrupt changes of the axial channel orientation. The degree of shelf incision, the location of the canyon heads in relation with the local sediment sources, and the seasonally variable hydrodynamic regimes determine the different degrees of recent canyon activity. The Motril Canyon is interpreted as a mature system that reflects episodic activity, collecting fine-grained sediments from the nearby Guadalfeo River. The Carchuna Canyon exhibits a youthful developmental stage whose activity is more continuous and involves sediment trapping of littoral cells and continuous downslope sand transport.

AB - This research aims to distinguish genetic sedimentary processes building canyon geomorphological patterns and the factors driving different sedimentary activities in two nearby Mediterranean shelf-incised submarine canyons (Carchuna and Motril) that exhibit different degrees of incision on the narrow margin of the northern Alboran Sea. The straight Carchuna Canyon incises the shelf up to 200 m off the coastline and exhibit steep canyon walls featuring narrow terraces, muddy sands with high contents of organic matter along the thalweg, and transported shelf benthic foraminifera in distal settings. The Motril Canyon head is wider and incises the shelf edge, ca. 2 km off the coastline. It exhibits a sinuous morphology and less steep walls, wider terraces, and higher sedimentation rates with muddy sediments along the thalweg. In both canyons, cross-section relief, width, incision, and area decrease downslope, although these parameters increase locally. The downslope variations of geomorphological parameters are attributed to enhanced erosional/depositional processes promoted by tectonically controlled abrupt changes of the axial channel orientation. The degree of shelf incision, the location of the canyon heads in relation with the local sediment sources, and the seasonally variable hydrodynamic regimes determine the different degrees of recent canyon activity. The Motril Canyon is interpreted as a mature system that reflects episodic activity, collecting fine-grained sediments from the nearby Guadalfeo River. The Carchuna Canyon exhibits a youthful developmental stage whose activity is more continuous and involves sediment trapping of littoral cells and continuous downslope sand transport.

KW - Alboran Sea

KW - Seafloor mapping

KW - Sediment analysis

KW - Sediment transport

KW - Submarine canyons

KW - Underwater imagery

U2 - 10.1016/j.geomorph.2024.109127

DO - 10.1016/j.geomorph.2024.109127

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85186994966

VL - 453

JO - Geomorphology

JF - Geomorphology

SN - 0169-555X

M1 - 109127

ER -