LATE CENOZOIC EVOLUTION OF SACKVILLE SPUR - A SEDIMENT DRIFT ON THE NEWFOUNDLAND CONTINENTAL-SLOPE

The Sackville Spur is a sediment drift feature that forms a northeastward extension of the Grand Banks continental slope between the 900 and 2500 m isobaths near latitude 48°N. At present, the Labrador Current (LC) and the Western boundary Undercurrent (WBUC) appear to be the two major hydrodynamic forces controlling sedimentation patterns on the flanks of the spur. The latest phase of the spur's evolution is characterized by 1) intermittent erosion with concomitant large-scale submarine sliding, 2) smaller scale mass-flow deposition, and 3) a distinctive southeastward shift of its depocentre toward the Flemish Pass. -from Authors