Contourites are sediments deposited or substantially reworked by bottom currents. The study of contourites is nowadays crucial for several fields of fundamental and applied research: palaeoclimatology and paleoceanography, since these fairly continuous and relatively high-resolution sediments hold the key for priceless information on the variability in circulation patter, current velocity, oceanographic history and basin interconnectivity; hydrocarbon exploration, since accumulation of source rocks may be favoured by weak bottom currents, whereas "clean" deep-sea sands may be formed by robust flows; slope stability,since low-permeability fine-grained contourites facilitate the formation of overpressurized gliding planes when fresh contourites with a high pore-water content becomes rapidly loaded, or when their rigid biosiliceous microfabric collapses due to diagenetic conditions.
- ISBN: 978-0-444-52998-5
- Editorial: Elsevier
- Encuadernacion: Cartoné
- Páginas: 663
- Fecha Publicación: 01/01/2008
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Inglés