A Preliminary Experimental Study of Turbidite Fan Deposits

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Abstract
We present preliminary laboratory experimental results that demonstrate lobe switching in a turbidite fan. After a significant number of individual event beds (more than eight) in both experimen- tal fans made in this study, the flow began to focus itself into a lobe, at the center of which appeared a subtle channel-form. Initial lobe switching occurred after nearly twenty event beds. Subsequent switch- ing appeared to scale with lobe size and sedimentation rate. The dens- est, coarsest runs tended to initiate the switching of the depocenter. Instabilities within the turbidity current itself appear to be responsible for initial flow confinement to a lobe and ultimate switching events. Currently untreated scale effects and measurement difficulties limit quantitative extension of the results to natural settings, though some general relationships are proposed.

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