Giant hummocks in deep-water marine sediments: Evidence for large-scale differential compaction and density inversion during early burial

Research Article| October 01, 1999 Giant hummocks in deep-water marine sediments: Evidence for large-scale differential compaction and density inversion during early burial Richard Davies; Richard Davies 1Mobil North Sea Ltd., Grampian House, Union Row, Aberdeen AB10 1SA, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Joe Cartwright; Joe Cartwright 2Department of Earth Sciences, Cardiff University of Wales, P.O. Box 914, Cardiff CF1 3YE, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Juliet Rana Juliet Rana 1Mobil North Sea Ltd., Grampian House, Union Row, Aberdeen AB10 1SA, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Richard Davies 1Mobil North Sea Ltd., Grampian House, Union Row, Aberdeen AB10 1SA, UK Joe Cartwright 2Department of Earth Sciences, Cardiff University of Wales, P.O. Box 914, Cardiff CF1 3YE, UK Juliet Rana 1Mobil North Sea Ltd., Grampian House, Union Row, Aberdeen AB10 1SA, UK Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1999) 27 (10): 907–910. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0907:GHIDWM>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Richard Davies, Joe Cartwright, Juliet Rana; Giant hummocks in deep-water marine sediments: Evidence for large-scale differential compaction and density inversion during early burial. Geology 1999;; 27 (10): 907–910. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0907:GHIDWM>2.3.CO;2 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 This paper describes large-scale hummock structures from an Oligocene-Miocene succession in the Faerøe-Shetland Trough, off the northern coast of the United Kingdom. These hummocks have a wavelength of 1–2 km, and an amplitude of about 50 m; they are characterized by a polygonal planform geometry. Two successive depositional packages in this probably pelagic-dominated interval have this form of structural expression, but troughs of the younger set are directly superposed on crests of the older set. They occur at a present-day subsea-bottom depth of about 1000 m, and cover an area of ∼6000 km2. This extraordinary structural configuration is attributed to a protracted depositional and deformational history in which a density inversion was established, hummock formation was initiated in response to differential loading above an irregular polygonal fault system, and then subsequent collapse produced syndepositional troughs in the overlying units. These structures are similar in geometry to hummocks described from near-surface sediments in the Norway Basin by P. R. Vogt and are the largest type of density inversion deformation structure yet described from a clastic sedimentary succession. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.