Morphology and Acoustic Character of the Middle and Lower North Sea Fan

Abstract

The North Sea Fan is a major depocentre, located on the European continental margin at the mouth of the 500 m deep Norwegian Channel (Fig. 1a). Sediments consist of a sequence of hemipelagic debris, slides, glacimarine units, and glacigenic debris flows (GDFs) (King et al. 1996; 1998). However, the full extent and character of the middle and lower North Sea Fan have remained poorly resolved until now. GLORIA 6.5 kHz long-range sidescan sonar and 3.5 kHz sub-bottom profiler data are presented here, defining the extent and nature of the fan below 1,500 m water depth.Fig. 1aLocation and extent of the North Sea Fan, as mapped from geophysical records. The fan is delimited on either side by large-scale failure (the Storegga and North Faeroes margin complexes) and does not display a lobate form as a result (a, b).