Cyclone-induced net sediment transport pathway on the continental shelf of tropical Australia inferred from reef talus deposits

Abstract

Tropical cyclones affect storm-dominated sediment transport processes that characterise Holocene shelf deposits in many shelf environments. A summary of cyclone-associated deposits in the Great Barrier Reef published by Larcombe and Carter [2004. Cyclone pumping, sediment partitioning and the development of the Great Barrier Reef shelf system: a review. Quaternary Science Reviews 23, pp. 107–135 indicates a pervasive northwards orientation of deposits on the lee side of reefs and other obstacles. In this paper, we describe the geomorphology of reef talus deposits found in the Gulf of Carpentaria and Arafura Sea, Australia, that we attribute to tropical cyclones. The orientation of these deposits is also indicative of a consistent, along-coast transport pathway. The deposits are located on the leeward side of submerged coral reefs; they are up to 10 m in thickness, comprised of re-worked carbonate sand and gravel and radiocarbon dating indicates that they are of Holocene age. An explanation for the consistent along-coast cyclone transport pathway is presented based on previously published hydrodynamic modelling results. These models illustrate how currents generated by the passage of a cyclone are asymmetric in plan view, such that stronger flows are generated between the eye of the cyclone and the coast. The result of the passage of many cyclones over geologic timescales is a net along-coast sediment transport pathway located on the inner- to mid-shelf, possibly extending over the entire length of northern Australia's coastline. This process provides an explanation for the observed sediment transport patterns on modern tropical continental shelves, as well as a basis for the interpretation of ancient tropical shelf deposits.