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Sedimentary breccia and diamictite of the Cambrian Spurs Formation in northern Victoria Land, Antarctica: two kinds of debris flows in a submarine channel system

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 April 2018

Young-Hwan G. Kim ,
Jusun Woo ,
Tae-Yoon S. Park ,
Ji-Hoon Kihm ,
Jong Ik Lee  and
Moon Young Choe
Young-Hwan G. Kim
Affiliation:
Polar Science, University of Science and Technology, 217 Gajeong-ro, Daejeon, 34113Korea Division of Polar Earth-System Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, 26 Songdomirae-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 21990, Korea
Jusun Woo*
Affiliation:
Polar Science, University of Science and Technology, 217 Gajeong-ro, Daejeon, 34113Korea Division of Polar Earth-System Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, 26 Songdomirae-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 21990, Korea
Tae-Yoon S. Park
Affiliation:
Polar Science, University of Science and Technology, 217 Gajeong-ro, Daejeon, 34113Korea Division of Polar Earth-System Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, 26 Songdomirae-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 21990, Korea
Ji-Hoon Kihm
Affiliation:
Polar Science, University of Science and Technology, 217 Gajeong-ro, Daejeon, 34113Korea Division of Polar Earth-System Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, 26 Songdomirae-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 21990, Korea
Jong Ik Lee
Affiliation:
Polar Science, University of Science and Technology, 217 Gajeong-ro, Daejeon, 34113Korea Division of Polar Earth-System Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, 26 Songdomirae-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 21990, Korea
Moon Young Choe
Affiliation:
Division of Polar Earth-System Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, 26 Songdomirae-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 21990, Korea
*
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
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Abstract

The submarine channel-fill system of the Cambrian Spurs Formation exhibits unique metre-scale cycles of breccia and diamictite. The studied sections, Eureka Spurs, are located at the Mariner Glacier in the central-eastern part of northern Victoria Land, Antarctica. A facies analysis of the channel-fill deposit has led to the recognition of four main lithofacies: breccia, diamictite, thin-bedded sandstone and mudstone. The channel-fill deposit consists of two architectural elements: hollow-fill (HF) and sheet-like (SL) elements. The SL has wide convex-up geometry and consists solely of a very thick bed of diamictite, and is interpreted as a submarine channel lobe. The HF has a concave-up erosional base and flat upper surface. The HF consists of nine cyclic alternations of underlying breccia (cohesionless debris flow) and overlying diamictite (cohesive debris flow). The deposition of breccia is interpreted to have been controlled by repeated allogenic processes such as earthquakes. In contrast, the abrupt vertical transition from breccia to diamictite in each cycle is interpreted to have resulted from an autogenic, slope instability-related process. The interaction of the allogenic and autogenic factors recorded in the metre-scale unique cyclic deposits provides new criteria to interpret cycles of submarine debris flow.

Keywords

cyclic depositfacies analysisgravity flowMariner Groupsedimentology
Type
Earth Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 30 , Issue 4 , August 2018 , pp. 245 - 263
Copyright
© Antarctic Science Ltd 2018 

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