Rip currents as a geological tool

Abstract

This paper considers the nature and sedimentary significance of rip currents. Rip currents are the main factor responsible for the transport of coarse sediments from the littoral zone to greater depths. Such sediments, deposited outside the zone of wave deformation, may be identified as storm rip current increments within sediments deposited during fair weather. Composite beds deposited during a given wave cycle by storm rip currents are closely similar to ‘turbidites’ and many so called ‘fluxo‐turbidites’ described from flysch deposits. Using data gathered in studies conducted on the modern Baltic coast, supplemented by experimental work and theoretical considerations, a sedimentary model is proposed. The model may be used to interpret possible rip current deposits among shallow water ‘turbidites’, and both modern storm sediments and ancient ‘tempestites’.

Anatomy of a Transgressive Systems Tract Revealed by Integrated Sedimentological and Palaeoecological Study: The Barcellona Pozzo Di Gotto Basin, Northeastern Sicily, Italy

“…The isolated thin unit of coarse-grained facies S G indicates the abrupt incursion of an exceptionally powerful and pulsating current with high sediment concentration, depositing sand by rapid dumping directly from turbulent suspension (Lowe, 1988;Vrolijk & Southard, 1997). This could be a strong, densityenhanced rip current or backwash surge generated by a rare extreme storm (Gruszczydski et al, 1993;Myrow & Southard, 1996) or possibly a tsunami (Cantalamessa & Di Celma, 2005).…”

“…Alternatively, the rare occurrences of facies S G may be a record of strong rip currents. Reflective shorelines generally lack rip currents, but these occasionally can be generated by extreme storms, when coastal swell causes strandplain inundation and may result in edge waves (Bowen & Guza, 1978;Gruszczydski et al, 1993).…”

Late Cretaceous to Early Eocene Sedimentation in the Sinop–Boyabat Basin, North‐Central Turkey: A Deep‐Water Turbiditic System Evolving into Littoral Carbonate Platform

“…The shelf zone was accumulating epiclastic sediment derived from erosion of volcanic rocks, but hosted also an expanding carbonate platform. Storms probably transported abundant sediment to the shelf edge, causing its gravitational failures, and possibly also generated some sediment-laden, gravity-driven surges of seaward-returning water (Hamblin & Walker, 1979;Walker, 1984b;Snedden et al, 1988;Myrow & Southard, 1996) and/or shelf-crossing rip currents (Bowen & Inman, 1969;Dalrymple, 1975;Cacchione et al, 1984Cacchione et al, , 1994Gruszczydski et al, 1993). The notion of storm-generated currents is supported by the tempestites of facies subassociation 3c in the shallower part of the evolving depositional system (see subsequent section).…”

“…As discussed in the next section, the reefal platform was a sand-prone shoal fringed with a reflective, wave-dominated gravelly shoreline and relatively narrow, sandy shoreface zone. Abundant sediment could be transferred from the shoreface zone to the deep-water environment by storm-generated rip currents (Bowen & Inman, 1969;Dalrymple, 1975;Cacchione et al, 1984Cacchione et al, , 1994Gruszczydski et al, 1993) Generalized palaeogeographical scenario and sediment dispersal pattern for late Maastrichtian time (schematic, not to scale). and geostrophic surges (Hamblin & Walker, 1979;Walker, 1984b;Snedden et al, 1988;Myrow & Southard, 1996).…”

Nature of the Campano-Maastrichtian Sub-Basins in the Gongola Basin, Nigeria

“…Channels are formed by erosion and are commonly filled with sediment that is texturally different from the beds they truncate. Arowa Formation channel-filling sandstones may be the result of rip-currents which comprise, narrow, high velocity, storm-generated seaward-directed currents that start in the surf zone (Gruszczynski et al, 1993). The currents that produced the channel-fillings flowed intermittently.…”