Quantifying the distribution and transport of pelagic sediments on young abyssal hills

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Abstract
The post‐depositional transport of pelagic sediments on rough seafloor is approximated as a nonlinear diffusive process. The topographic slope distribution of the sediment‐water interface depends primarily on the apparent sediment diffusivity κ, the average sediment load L, and the root‐mean‐square height of the abyssal‐hill basement H. These parameters have been determined for the ARSRP corridor on the west flank of the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge by fitting theoretical models to the slope distribution observed from center‐beam Hydrosweep data. The average value of the apparent diffusivity is . H varies between 188 and 285 m, with a mean of 230 ± 7 m. L is estimated to be as thin as 10 m on 5‐Ma crust near the ridge crest, thickening to values greater than 50 m at 10‐15 Ma and then decreasing to less than 30 m on 25‐Ma crust in the western portion of the corridor. The decrease in sediment load with age may be associated with a shallower carbonate compensation depth prior to the late Miocene.