Abstract
In the Rockall Trough topographic moats and ridges are developed around Anton-Dohrn and Rosemary Bank seamounts. The relative relief between moat and ridge decreases from west to east around the seamount. Seismic profiles show the sediments above a well-defined reflector are also asymmetrically distributed and are thinnest on the east side of the seamount. In a regional southward flow, the sediment distribution could be caused by acceleration on the east side of the seamount and deceleration on the west. The relief between moat and ridge is not a valid indicator of flow regime. Theoretical and experimental studies show the asymmetric sediment distribution can be explained in terms of streamline distortion and Taylor column development in and around obstacles in rotating and homogeneous fluids. Unlike the conventional non-rotating case, the stagnation point or region of deceleration appears to the west of the obstacle and not upstream and downstream. We discuss moating around other seamounts and palaeoceanographic applications of our observations.
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