Shallowly buried, enigmatic seismic stratigraphy on the New Jersey outer shelf: Evidence for latest Pleistocene catastrophic erosion?

Research Article| December 01, 2004 Shallowly buried, enigmatic seismic stratigraphy on the New Jersey outer shelf: Evidence for latest Pleistocene catastrophic erosion? Craig S. Fulthorpe; Craig S. Fulthorpe 1Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78759, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar James A. Austin, Jr. James A. Austin, Jr. 1Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78759, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (2004) 32 (12): 1013–1016. https://doi.org/10.1130/G20822.1 Article history received: 11 May 2004 rev-recd: 24 Aug 2004 accepted: 27 Aug 2004 first online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Craig S. Fulthorpe, James A. Austin; Shallowly buried, enigmatic seismic stratigraphy on the New Jersey outer shelf: Evidence for latest Pleistocene catastrophic erosion?. Geology 2004;; 32 (12): 1013–1016. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G20822.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Chirp seismic profiles reveal a prominent seismic facies boundary 0–20 m below the seafloor within an 8.6 × 10.2 km area of the New Jersey outer shelf. This irregular boundary separates seismically transparent facies from underlying stratified facies. The irregularities form two populations of incisions trending northeast and east-northeast. Stratified blocks within the transparent facies, occasionally within presumed incisions, together with lithologic evidence, indicate that some of the transparent facies was formed by disruption of the stratified facies. Preservation of steep (50°–90°) incision flanks implies that deposition of the transparent facies closely followed disruption. Catastrophic erosion and redeposition following the multiple breaching of glacial lake dams to the north ca. 19–12 ka constitute the likeliest mechanisms both for producing facies-boundary incisions and emplacing the transparent facies, implying that local forcing can generate erosional unconformities on periglacial shelves in the absence of base-level change. This facies boundary adds complexity to the already complex, shallowly buried stratigraphic record of the last glacio-eustatic cycle on the New Jersey continental shelf, long considered typical of periglacial shelves worldwide. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.