Turbidity Current
D2. Hydrography, tides, waves, bathymetry and marine geologyDefinition
Density flow of sediment-laden water down a submarine slope.
A turbidity current is a fast, gravity-driven flow of sediment-laden, and therefore denser, water that races down a submarine slope or canyon, eroding and then depositing graded beds called turbidites. The 1929 Grand Banks earthquake set off a current timed by successive transatlantic cable breaks at speeds estimated near 60 km/h. Turbidity currents are the main mechanism delivering coarse sediment to the deep sea and building deep-sea fans.