Time-transgressive tunnel valley formation indicated by infill sediment structure, North Sea - the role of glaciohydraulic supercooling

Thomas Bojer Kristensen; Jan Piotrowski; Mads Huuse; O.R. Clausen; Lars Hamberg

Time-transgressive tunnel valley formation indicated by infill sediment structure, North Sea - the role of glaciohydraulic supercooling

Thomas Bojer Kristensen
, Jan Piotrowski
, Mads Huuse
, O.R. Clausen
, Lars Hamberg

Department of Geoscience

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

63 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Structure and lithology of the infill sediments from 16 subglacial buried tunnel valleys of Pleistocene age in the North Sea were analyzed using 3D seismic data and geophysical log data from five hydrocarbon exploration wells. The infill sediments are characterized by three seismic facies: Facies I, the volumetrically most important and structurally most distinct, is composed of clinoform reflections downlapping axially up-valley (up-ice), Facies II is composed of near-horizontal, continuous and well layered reflections onlapping the clinoform reflections and the valley walls and Facies III is composed of clinoform reflections downlapping axially down-valley (down-ice). A model of formation of this sediment architecture is proposed, in which valley incision and infill are causally linked. It is proposed that Facies I is related to glaciohydraulic supercooling of subglacial meltwater in the distal parts of tunnel valleys. The valleys formed time-transgressively during ice retreat, whereby sediment eroded further up-ice was re-deposited along adverse subglacial slopes of the valleys close to the ice margin. The formation of Facies II and III is related to the deposition in proglacial basins during final deglaciation.

Original language	English
Journal	Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
Volume	33
Issue	4
Pages (from-to)	546-559
Number of pages	14
ISSN	0197-9337
Publication status	Published - 2008

Access to Document

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/117943383/PDFSTART

Library access?

Check availability with the Royal Danish Library

Cite this

@article{80b895a0ff1c11dcb919000ea68e967b,

title = "Time-transgressive tunnel valley formation indicated by infill sediment structure, North Sea - the role of glaciohydraulic supercooling",

abstract = "Structure and lithology of the infill sediments from 16 subglacial buried tunnel valleys of Pleistocene age in the North Sea were analyzed using 3D seismic data and geophysical log data from five hydrocarbon exploration wells. The infill sediments are characterized by three seismic facies: Facies I, the volumetrically most important and structurally most distinct, is composed of clinoform reflections downlapping axially up-valley (up-ice), Facies II is composed of near-horizontal, continuous and well layered reflections onlapping the clinoform reflections and the valley walls and Facies III is composed of clinoform reflections downlapping axially down-valley (down-ice). A model of formation of this sediment architecture is proposed, in which valley incision and infill are causally linked. It is proposed that Facies I is related to glaciohydraulic supercooling of subglacial meltwater in the distal parts of tunnel valleys. The valleys formed time-transgressively during ice retreat, whereby sediment eroded further up-ice was re-deposited along adverse subglacial slopes of the valleys close to the ice margin. The formation of Facies II and III is related to the deposition in proglacial basins during final deglaciation.",

author = "Kristensen, \{Thomas Bojer\} and Jan Piotrowski and Mads Huuse and O.R. Clausen and Lars Hamberg",

year = "2008",

language = "English",

volume = "33",

pages = "546--559",

journal = "Earth Surface Processes and Landforms",

issn = "0197-9337",

publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Ltd",

number = "4",

}

Time-transgressive tunnel valley formation indicated by infill sediment structure, North Sea - the role of glaciohydraulic supercooling. / Kristensen, Thomas Bojer; Piotrowski, Jan; Huuse, Mads et al.
In: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, Vol. 33, No. 4, 2008, p. 546-559.

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Time-transgressive tunnel valley formation indicated by infill sediment structure, North Sea - the role of glaciohydraulic supercooling

AU - Kristensen, Thomas Bojer

AU - Piotrowski, Jan

AU - Huuse, Mads

AU - Clausen, O.R.

AU - Hamberg, Lars

PY - 2008

Y1 - 2008

N2 - Structure and lithology of the infill sediments from 16 subglacial buried tunnel valleys of Pleistocene age in the North Sea were analyzed using 3D seismic data and geophysical log data from five hydrocarbon exploration wells. The infill sediments are characterized by three seismic facies: Facies I, the volumetrically most important and structurally most distinct, is composed of clinoform reflections downlapping axially up-valley (up-ice), Facies II is composed of near-horizontal, continuous and well layered reflections onlapping the clinoform reflections and the valley walls and Facies III is composed of clinoform reflections downlapping axially down-valley (down-ice). A model of formation of this sediment architecture is proposed, in which valley incision and infill are causally linked. It is proposed that Facies I is related to glaciohydraulic supercooling of subglacial meltwater in the distal parts of tunnel valleys. The valleys formed time-transgressively during ice retreat, whereby sediment eroded further up-ice was re-deposited along adverse subglacial slopes of the valleys close to the ice margin. The formation of Facies II and III is related to the deposition in proglacial basins during final deglaciation.

AB - Structure and lithology of the infill sediments from 16 subglacial buried tunnel valleys of Pleistocene age in the North Sea were analyzed using 3D seismic data and geophysical log data from five hydrocarbon exploration wells. The infill sediments are characterized by three seismic facies: Facies I, the volumetrically most important and structurally most distinct, is composed of clinoform reflections downlapping axially up-valley (up-ice), Facies II is composed of near-horizontal, continuous and well layered reflections onlapping the clinoform reflections and the valley walls and Facies III is composed of clinoform reflections downlapping axially down-valley (down-ice). A model of formation of this sediment architecture is proposed, in which valley incision and infill are causally linked. It is proposed that Facies I is related to glaciohydraulic supercooling of subglacial meltwater in the distal parts of tunnel valleys. The valleys formed time-transgressively during ice retreat, whereby sediment eroded further up-ice was re-deposited along adverse subglacial slopes of the valleys close to the ice margin. The formation of Facies II and III is related to the deposition in proglacial basins during final deglaciation.

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0197-9337

VL - 33

SP - 546

EP - 559

JO - Earth Surface Processes and Landforms

JF - Earth Surface Processes and Landforms

IS - 4

ER -