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Sediment Distribution in the Oceans: The Atlantic

1973; Geological Society of America; Volume: 84; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1130/0016-7606(1973)84 2.0.co;2

1943-2674

Maurice Ewing, George B. Carpenter, C. C. Windisch, John Ewing,

Geological formations and processes

Research Article| January 01, 1973 Sediment Distribution in the Oceans: The Atlantic MAURICE EWING; MAURICE EWING 1Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GEORGE CARPENTER; GEORGE CARPENTER 1Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar CHARLES WINDISCH; CHARLES WINDISCH 1Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar JOHN EWING JOHN EWING 1Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information MAURICE EWING 1Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964 GEORGE CARPENTER 1Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964 CHARLES WINDISCH 1Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964 JOHN EWING 1Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (1973) 84 (1): 71–88. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1973)84 2.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation MAURICE EWING, GEORGE CARPENTER, CHARLES WINDISCH, JOHN EWING; Sediment Distribution in the Oceans: The Atlantic. GSA Bulletin 1973;; 84 (1): 71–88. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1973)84 2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Seismic reflection and refraction data from about 750,000 km of traverse in the Atlantic Ocean are used to construct a sediment isopach map. Sediment distribution is found to be locally and regionally complex but is largely controlled by sea-floor spreading and proximity to continental sources, although other factors (for example, CaCO3 compensation level) are important. The thinnest sediments are confined to the axial zone of the mid-Atlantic ridge primarily because of the youth of this region. Sediments progressively thicken down the flanks and into the basins—a pattern in accord with sea-floor spreading theories. Considerable regional variation is observed in the distribution of sediments. Average sediment thickness is about 1.0 km for the North Atlantic and about 0.7 km for the South Atlantic, a difference fundamentally attributed to the relative youth of the southern basin. Sediment thickness in the eastern basins is roughly 65 percent of that in the western basins and is largely the result of differences in oceanic circulation, glaciation, and continental drainage patterns. Large areas of thin sediments (<100 m) centered on the ridge crest are found in temperate latitudes in both hemispheres. These can be roughly correlated with present-day areas of low biological productivity which apparently have prevailed for a considerable period of time. Most (≈73 percent) of the sediments are found along continental margins, a region accounting for only 29 percent of the area of study. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.