A5026889589- Geological formations and processes
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- earthquake and tectonic studies
- Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena
- Underwater Acoustics Research
- Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis
- Geological Modeling and Analysis
- Geological and Geophysical Studies
- Hydrology and Sediment Transport Processes
- Landslides and related hazards
- Reservoir Engineering and Simulation Methods
- Seismic Waves and Analysis
- Coastal and Marine Dynamics
- Geochemistry and Geologic Mapping
- Geological Studies and Exploration
- Hydraulic Fracturing and Reservoir Analysis
- Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
- Geological and Tectonic Studies in Latin America
- Radiation Detection and Scintillator Technologies
- Indigenous Studies and Ecology
- Maritime Navigation and Safety
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Radioactive contamination and transfer
- Geological and Geochemical Analysis
- Seismic Imaging and Inversion Techniques
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
2019-2024
Pacific Science Center
2014-2022
United States Geological Survey
2015-2022
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
2014-2022
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
2018-2021
Geological Survey of Canada
2018
Environmental Systems Research Institute (United States)
2016
Earthquake Science Center
2015
Stanford University
2007-2013
University of Alaska Southeast
2008-2011
Seafloor sediment flows (turbidity currents) are among the volumetrically most important yet least documented transport processes on Earth. A scarcity of direct observations means that basic characteristics, such as whether entirely dilute or driven by a dense basal layer, remain equivocal. Here we present detailed from oceanic turbidity currents. These powerful events in Monterey Canyon have frontal speeds up to 7.2 m s-1, and carry heavy (800 kg) objects at ≥4 s-1. We infer they consist...
Crescent-shaped bedforms with wavelengths from 20 to 80 m, amplitudes 2.5 and concave down-canyon crests occur in the axial channel of Monterey Canyon (offshore California, USA) water depths 11 more than 350 m. The existence these features may be an important new clue as how sediment moves through submarine canyons. Three complementary studies were initiated 2007 understand origin evolution bedforms. (1) Vibracoring. transects closely spaced remotely operated vehicle–collected vibracores...
Seabed sediment flows called turbidity currents form some of the largest accumulations, deepest canyons and longest channel systems on Earth. Only rivers transport comparable volumes over such large areas; but there are far fewer measurements from currents, ensuring they much more poorly understood. Turbidity differ fundamentally rivers, as driven by that suspend. Fast can pick up sediment, self-accelerate (ignite); whilst slow deposit dissipate. Self-acceleration cannot continue...
Abstract Submarine turbidity currents create some of the largest sediment accumulations on Earth, yet there are few direct measurements these flows. Instead, most our understanding results from analyzing their deposits in sedimentary record. However, lack flow means that is considerable debate regarding how to interpret properties ancient deposits. This novel study combines detailed monitoring with unusually precisely located cores at different heights, and multiple locations, within...
Turbidity currents dominate sediment transfer into the deep ocean, and can damage critical seabed infrastructure. It is commonly inferred that powerful turbidity are triggered by major external events, such as storms, river floods, or earthquakes. However, basic models for current triggering remain poorly tested, with few studies accurately recording precise flow timing. Here, we analyse most detailed series of measurements yet made (up to 7.2 m s−1) currents, within Monterey Canyon,...
Research Article| April 01, 2011 The elusive character of discontinuous deep-water channels: New insights from Lucia Chica channel system, offshore California Katherine L. Maier; Maier 1Department Geological and Environmental Sciences, Braun Hall Building 320, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Andrea Fildani; Fildani 2Chevron Energy Technology Company, 6001 Bollinger Canyon Road, San Ramon, 94583, Charles K. Paull; Paull...
Abstract The Lucia Chica channel system is an avulsion belt with four adjacent channels that progressively avulsed to the north‐east from a single, upslope feeder channel. Avulsion occurred underfilled channels, leaving open were reactivated by flows stripped younger, channels. Differences in relief (height thalweg levée crest), sinuosity and stratigraphy between correspond relative age, indicate change morphology architecture time. Potential triggers for over time include differences...
Submarine canyons are conduits for episodic and powerful sediment density flows (commonly called turbidity currents) that move globally significant amounts of terrestrial organic carbon into the deep sea, forming some largest sedimentary deposits on Earth. The only record available most currents is deposit they leave behind. Therefore, to understand current processes, we need determine degree which these represented by their deposits. However, linking a major long-standing scientific...
Observations from the modern seafloor that suggest turbidity currents tend to erode as they lose channel-levee confinement, rather than decelerating and depositing their sediment load, has driven investigations into gravity flow behaviour at mouth of submarine channels. Commonly, channel settings coincide with areas gradient change play a vital role in transfer through deep-water systems. Channel are widely referred channel-lobe transition zone (CLTZ) where well-defined channel-levees...
Kaikōura Canyon, offshore Aotearoa/New Zealand, is a hotspot for deep-sea benthic biology with globally high faunal abundance. The Mw7.8 earthquake in 2016 triggered severe disturbance that reshaped the canyon, evacuating an estimated 850 metric megatonnes of sedimentary material down canyon. Canyon habitat now recovering from this removal both seafloor substrate and associated organisms. We measured post-event macrofauna density together biomass sediment properties related these to infaunal...
Abstract High-resolution Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) multibeam bathymetry and chirp subsurface profiles from a portion of the Lucia Chica channel system, offshore central California, provide imaging small-scale morphologies associated with deep-water migration. From ~ 950 m to 1250 water depth, system contains complicated pattern channels scours. The quality resolution reveals sediment packages on same scale as geometries outcrop strata. Detailed mapping measurements along channels,...
ABSTRACT The 2016 Mw7.8 Kaikōura Earthquake in Aotearoa New Zealand provides an opportunity to test widely applied turbidite sedimentation models because it triggered a co-seismic turbidity current. resultant event bed (KEB), interpreted as turbidite, is sampled for ∼ 1300-km down-flow along the depositional system. Sediment core lithologies, computed tomography (CT), and particle-size data are used event-bed thickness, silt content, facies distribution, stacking patterns against foundations...
Abstract: Ultra-high-resolution (1 m * 1 0.25 m) bathymetry was acquired with an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) over a sector of the Navy Fan offshore Baja California. The survey specifically targeted area where former interpretation fan showed channel–lobe transition; however, lobe and transition were not recognized. Instead, newly shows that previously identified channel continues basinward changing its overall morphology stratigraphic architecture, becoming gradually but...
ABSTRACT New high-resolution datasets across La Jolla submarine fan, offshore California, illuminate low-relief, down-dip widening conduits emanating from a deep-sea channel that deposited combination of laterally extensive sand strata seemingly crisscrossed by distributary patterns. Extensive coverage this sector the seafloor shows submarine-fan architecture and morphologies essentially different than channelized patterns characteristic subaerial systems previous conceptual models fans. The...
A continent ages quickly once we come. The natives live in harmony with it. But the foreigner destroys, cuts down trees, drains water, so that water supply is altered, and a short time soil, sod turned under, cropped out, next it starts to blow away as has blown every old country I had seen start Canada. earth gets tired of being exploited. If my title did not betray source, how many would have guessed Ernest Hemingway penned these words about his presence East Africa? Would you picked him...
Abstract The Palos Verdes Fault (PVF) is one of few active faults in Southern California that crosses the shoreline and can be studied using both terrestrial subaqueous methodologies. To characterize near‐seafloor fault morphology, tectonic influences on continental slope sedimentary processes late Pleistocene to present slip rate, a grid high‐resolution multibeam bathymetric data, chirp subbottom profiles were acquired with an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) along main trace PVF water...
ABSTRACT Submarine canyons are important deep-sea environments and conduits for transferring accumulating sediment organic matter pollutants. Recent advances in observing, sampling, analyzing modern canyon transport systems illustrate near-seafloor dynamics highlight the potential roles of submarine transporting storing carbon, nutrients, contaminants deep sea, with implications ecosystems global carbon budgets. Kaikōura Canyon, offshore northeastern Te Waipounamu South Island, Aotearoa New...
Abstract Research on the depositional record of submarine fans and related turbidite systems has highlighted importance channel, lobe levée–overbank architectural elements as fundamental building blocks. However, many characteristics processes deposits left by flows traversing those remain elusive, because seem to be able go unconfined for long distances. Offshore southern California (USA), La Jolla Canyon decreases in relief become an approximately U‐shaped channel across basin floor San...