Role of mass wasting processes in the modification of oceanic rift valley morphology
During the last eight years field investigations using the high resolution capabilities of submersibles and deep-towed cameras have been conducted along the rift valley of the Mid-Cayman Rise, the western and eastern intersections of the Kane Transform Fault and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the eastern intersection of the Oceanographer Transform Fault. These 3 sites are representative of the range of tectonic environments which are characteristic of slowly accreting plate boundaries. Photographic and observational data collected from within these natural laboratories reveal important geomorphic information concerning the temporal and spatial evolution of volcanic constructional and fault-bounded terrain in response to mass wasting processes. The results of this investigation indicate that sedimentary processes significantly influence the development of oceanic lithosphere soon after its creation and continues to do so with increasing geologic age out to approximately 2 m.y. The data indicate that the rift valley floor distal from transform faults is dominated by a hummocky, volcanic morphology that is rapidly degraded by hyaloclastic mass wasting activity. With the evolution of the rift walls into the rift mountains, photographic data indicates that the processes associated with dislodgement and gravitational transport do not cease to operate but work much more infrequently relative to the tectonically active lower slopes.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. Rhode Island, Narragansett (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6458588
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8510489-
- Journal Information:
- Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States), Vol. 17; Conference: 98. annual meeting of the Geological Society of America, Orlando, FL, USA, 28 Oct 1985
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ATLANTIC OCEAN
PLATE TECTONICS
RIFT ZONES
GEOMORPHOLOGY
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
LANDSLIDES
OCEANIC CRUST
OCEANOGRAPHY
SEDIMENTS
EARTH CRUST
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
TECTONICS
580500* - Oceanography- (1980-1989)
580100 - Geology & Hydrology- (-1989)