McCarron, Stephen and Praeg, Daniel and Ó Cofaigh, Colm and Monteys, Xavier and Thébaudeau, Benjamin and Craven, Kieran and Saqab, Muhammad Mudasar and Cova, Andrea (2018) A Plio-Pleistocene sediment wedge on the continental shelf west of central Ireland: The Connemara Fan. Marine Geology, 399. pp. 97-114. ISSN 0025-3227

Preview

Download (6MB) | Preview

Abstract

Glacigenic sediment fans recording shelf edge deposition from marine-terminating ice sheets have previously been recognised along the NW European continental margin from Svalbard to as far south as Donegal, off north-west Ireland. Here we present evidence of a previously unrecognised partially glacially-fed Plio-Pleistocene sediment wedge on the continental shelf west of central Ireland using 2D and 3D seismic reflection data correlated to a commercial borehole. The ‘Connemara Fan’ covers a shelf area of approximately 9000 km2in water depths of 125–310 m, extending westwards into the Porcupine Seabight from the Irish Mainland Shelf. The wedge comprises up to 160 m of sediment that culminates in a prominent moraininc ridge at seabed and contains two discordant reflection surfaces (R1 and 2) that subdivide it into three seismic units (SU1–3). Stratigraphic boreholes 27/24-2 and 2A located on the inner shelf show that the lower unit (SU1) is composed of Pliocene marine sediments, while SU2 and 3 comprise glacially influenced facies of Quaternary age. Extracts from a 3D seismic data volume within the central part of the fan show channels within the Pliocene succession, while iceberg scours are observed on the R1 and R2 reflectors. The Connemara Fan is inferred to record sediment supply from central western Ireland, with Quaternary units probably recording at least two glacial advance-retreat cycles with ice sheets repeatedly grounding across the inner (Irish Mainland) shelf. Our findings extend the range of glacially-influenced grounding line depocentres southwards along the NW European continental margin.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This is a preprint version of the published article, which is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2018.02.009
Keywords:	Glacigenic fan; Plio-Pleistocene; British Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS); Irish Continental Shelf;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Geography Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Institutes > Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units, ICARUS
Item ID:	10979
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2018.02.009
Depositing User:	Dr. Stephen McCarron
Date Deposited:	26 Aug 2019 13:37
Journal or Publication Title:	Marine Geology
Publisher:	Elsevier
Refereed:	No
URI:	https://www.sciencedirect.com/
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

Repository Staff Only(login required)

Item control page

Downloads

Origin of downloads