Article type : Original Manuscript Textural characteristics and facies of sand-rich contourite depositional systems BRACKENRIDGE, R.E. *, STOW, D.A.V. *, HERNÁNDEZ-MOLINA, F.J. †, JONES, C. ‡, MENA, A. †,§, ALEJO, I. § , DUCASSOU, E. ¶, LLAVE, E. ** , ERCILLA, G. †† , NOMBELA, M.A. §, PEREZ-ARLUCEA, M. § , and FRANCES, G. § * School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, EH144AS, United Kingdom (E-mail:
[email protected]) † Dept. Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University, London, TW20 0EX Egham, Surrey, United Kingdom ‡ School of Geography and the Environment, Oxford University, Oxford, OX1 3QY, United Kingdom § Dpto. de Xeociencias Mariñas e O.T., Univ. Vigo, E-36310 Vigo (Pontevedra), Spain ¶ Université de Bordeaux, UMR CNRS 5805 EPOC, Talence cedex, France ** Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), Rios Rosas 23, 28003 Madrid, Spain †† Centro de Investigaciones Marinas y Ambientales (CMIMA-CSIC), Paseo Marítimo Barceloneta, 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain Associate Editor – Mariano Marzo Short Title – Sand-rich contourite systems ABSTRACT This work presents a detailed study of CONTOURIBER and Integrated Ocean Drilling Program 339 sediment data targeting sand-rich contourites in the Eastern Gulf of Cadiz. All of the collected sediments are interpreted as contourites (deposited or reworked by bottom currents) on the basis of oceanographic setting, seismic and morphometric features and facies characteristics. A variety of sandy and associated facies are found across the study area including: (i) bioturbated muddy contourites; (ii) mottled silty contourites; (iii) very fine mottled and fine-grained bioturbated sandy contourites; (iv) massive and laminated sandy contourites; and (v) coarse sandy/gravel contourites. The thickest sands occur within contourite channels and there is a marked reduction in sand content laterally away from channels.