Abstract
Despite the significance of subaerial and subaqueous sediment-laden gravity flows as geological and geomorphic agents1–5, our understanding of such transport and depositional processes is limited. In particular, there is little known about the mechanisms involved in the conversion of higher-density subaqueous debris flows into lower-density turbidity currents. To address this issue, a detailed field study of this conversion process was undertaken on flows and their deposits within a reservoir. The results presented here provide field evidence indicating the occurrence of hydraulic jumps as a conversion mechanism in such flows, and the deposition of large quantities of sediment in the immediate down-jump area. The findings are significant both in terms of basic geological processes as well as in applications to problems of reservoir management in areas with high sediment inputs.
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Weirich, F. Field evidence for hydraulic jumps in subaqueous sediment gravity flows. Nature 332, 626–629 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/332626a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/332626a0
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