Beck, C.

Beckers, A.

De Batist, M.

Hubert-Ferrari, A.

Open Marine Archive

  
Evidenc
1 Dpt. Geog
France. ab
2 Dpt. Geog
3 ISTerre, C
4 Renard Ce
 
 
Abstra
tidal c
in the
wide 
level. 
rise. 
 
Key w
 
INTRODUC
 
The Gulf
Greece, conn
the 62 m dee
sill, the Gulf
during Quat
Consequently
changed dram
conditions, a
in the offsho
sediments pr
have been hi
but the proce
unknown (B
Measuremen
Strong, up to
(Hadjitheodo
currents on th
 
Here we 
Gulf of Cori
located just 
bottom-curre
known tidal 
the Gulf dur
bottom-curre
stratigraphic 
conditions. 
 
METHODS
 
To test th
been acquir
electrode spa
130ka of s
developed ch
Isopach map
morphologic
bottom-curre
 
2nd
e for Hol
Arnaud 
raphy, University
eckers@ulg.ac.b
raphy, University
NRS UMR 5275
ntre of Marine G
ct: The Gulf
urrents have
 Gulf. Seismic
area, as well
These feature
ords: bottom
TION 
 of Corinth is
ected to the I
p Rio sill. B
 was disconn
ernary lowst
, hydrodyna
atically betw
nd these chan
re sedimenta
operties in re
ghlighted in t
sses responsi
ell et al., 
ts of present
 2m.s-1, tidal 
rou et al., 19
e deep gulf w
investigated 
nth, i.e. the N
East of the s
nts morpho
currents. Bec
ing Quaterna
nt-related mo
marker for
 
is hypothesis
ed with R
rker. They a
edimentation 
ronostratigra
 for the H
al features a
nts have been
 Deep-Water 
ocene bot
Beckers1, Au
 of Liège, B-400
e 
 of Liège, B-400
, University of S
eology, Universi
 of Corinth, 
 been measur
 reflection da
 as erosional
s highlight th
-currents, seaf
 a 860 m deep
onian Sea to 
ecause of the
ected from t
ands (Collie
mic circulati
een lowstan
ges could hav
tion. Periodic
lation with t
he deep Gulf
ble for these 
2009; Taylor
-day sea curr
currents occur
92), but the in
ater circulati
the western 
afpaktos Ba
ill, we look 
logies assoc
ause of the 
ry lowstand
rphologies co
 highstand 
, seismic refl
CMG's “Ce
llowed us to
according t
phic model (B
olocene has 
nd deposits 
 mapped. 
Circulation C
tom-curr
rélia Hubert
0 Liège, Belgium
0 Liège, Belgium
avoie, F-73376 L
ty of Gent, B-900
Greece, is co
ed above this
ta allowed u
 unconformit
e possible oc
loor erosion,
 basin in cen
the west throu
 presence of 
he World Oc
r et al., 200
on should h
d and highst
e been recor
 changes in 
he eustatic le
 by seismic d
changes are 
 et al., 201
ents are scar
 at the Rio St
fluence of th
on is unknow
extremity of 
sin. In this a
for evidence 
iated with 
disconnection
s, occurrence
uld be a relia
or transgress
exion lines h
ntipede” mu
 image at le
o a previou
ell et al., 200
been built 
associated w
 
ongress, 10-1
[133] 
ents eros
Greece
 
 
-Ferrari2, Ch
 
 & ISTerre, CN
. Aurelia.Ferrari
e Bourget du Lac
0 Gent, Belgium
nnected to th
 sill, what co
s to identify t
ies and a wid
currence of s
 Holocene tra
tral 
gh 
the 
ean 
0). 
ave 
and 
ded 
the 
vel 
ata, 
still 
1). 
ce. 
rait 
ese 
n. 
the 
rea 
for 
the 
 of 
 of 
ble 
ive 
ave 
lti-
ast 
sly 
9). 
and 
ith 
RE
 
wh
dep
com
10
int
rem
des
and
the
11
stra
 
FIG
Hol
Gul
 
ind
aro
dev
mo
(“c
tur
del
2 Sept. 2014,
ion in the
ristian Beck
RS UMR 5275, U
@ulg.ac.be 
, France Christia
 Marc.DeBatist@
e Ionian Sea 
uld potential
his present-da
e channel be
trong bottom
nsgression. 
SULTS AND
Present-day 
ole Nafpakto
th, indicating
ing from the
m deep, 400
erpreted as e
iniscent, at a
cribed in the
 could indica
 Gulf of Cor
.5ka ago. Ho
tigraphy is n
 
URE 1. Seismi
ocene mega-floo
f of Corinth, Gre
More to the
icating that 
und 12km ea
elop on th
rphologies c
ontourites”) o
bidity curren
tas. 
 Ghent, Belgi
 Western
3 and Marc D
niversity of Sav
n.Beck@univ-sa
UGent.be 
through a 62
ly induce bott
y expected se
tween 100 an
-currents sinc
 DISCUSSI
seafloor ero
s Basin, betw
 widespread 
 Rion sill. In
m wide chan
arly Holocene
 smaller scal
 English Cha
te that a simi
inth during th
wever, impro
eeded to bette
c profile showin
d (?) channel in t
ece. 
 east, no sea
today, botto
st of the sill. I
e flanks of 
ould be for
r could result
ts originatin
um 
 Gulf of 
e Batist4 
oie, F-73376 Le 
voie.fr 
m deep sill. 
om-current e
afloor erosio
d 300m belo
e the last sea
ON 
sion is obse
een 40 and 
action of bo
 the center o
nel is eroded 
 deposits. T
e, to mega-fl
nnel (Gupta 
lar flood even
e Holocene 
ving the Naf
r date this ero
g present seaflo
he centre of the 
floor erosion
m-currents e
nstead, depos
the basin 
med by bo
 from the clo
g from the 
Corinth, 
Bourget du Lac, 
Strong 
rosion 
n in a 
w sea 
 level 
rved in the
100 m water
ttom-currents
f this basin, a
into what we
his feature is
ood channels
et al., 2007)
t occurred in
transgression,
paktos Basin
sional event.
or erosion and
Nafpaktos Basin,
 is observed,
rosion stops
itional reliefs
floor. These
ttom-currents
ud settling of
surrounding
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2nd Deep-Water Circulation Congress, 10-12 Sept. 2014, Ghent, Belgium 
 
[134] 
 
In the northern depositional relief, 200 to 300 m 
below sea level, an erosional unconformity is observed 
below 30m of Holocene sediments. It may indicate in 
this area the occurrence of erosive bottom-currents 
occurring only during the post-glacial rapid sea level 
rise in this gulf. Identification of erosional 
unconformities associated with older Quaternary 
highstands and associated transgressions, e.g. the 
marine isotopic stage 5, is in progress. 
 
CONCLUSION 
 
As expected by the strong tidal currents measured at 
the outlet of the Gulf of Corinth, seafloor erosion is 
highlighted in a wide area at the western tip of the Gulf. 
This erosion stops around 12km east of the sill where 
large depositional relief develop. Two older phases of 
bottom-currents erosion are observed. The first one is 
associated to the post-glacial sea level rise, and the 
second one occurred during the early Holocene. 
 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
 
We warmly acknowledge Pascal Bernard (IPG, 
Paris), Dimitris Sakellariou (HCMR, Athens), 
Efthymios Tripsanas and Koen De Rycker (RCMG, 
Ghent). 
 
REFERENCES  
 
Bell, R. E., McNeill, L. C., Bull, J. M., Henstock, T. J., 
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Research, 21 (6), 824–855. 
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G., Lyberis, E., Papatheodorou, G., 2000. High 
sediment yields and cool, wet winters: Test of last 
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Gupta, S., Collier, J. S., Palmer-Felgate, A., Potter, G., 
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Hadjitheodorou, C., Antonopoulos, J., Lascaratos, A., 
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Evidence of Holocene bottom-currents erosion in the Western Gulf of Corinth, Greece

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