Type of sediment wave
A profile view of cyclic steps in Monterey Canyon
Cyclic steps are rhythmic bedforms associated with Froude super-critical flow instability.[ 1] [ 2] They are a type of sediment wave,[ 3] and are created when supercritical sediment-laden water (turbidity currents ) travels downslope through sediment beds.[ 4] Each ‘step’ has a steep drop, and together they tend to migrate upstream.[ 5] On the ocean floor, this phenomenon was first shown to be possible in 2006, although it was observed in open-channel flows over a decade earlier.[ 6] [ 2] [ 1] Geological features appearing to be submarine cyclic steps have been detected in the northern lowlands of Mars in the Aeolis Mensae region, providing evidence of an ancient Martian ocean.[ 7]
^ a b "Coherent Flow Structures in Open Channels | Wiley" . Wiley.com . Retrieved 2021-06-20 .
^ a b Kostic, Svetlana (2011-04-01). "Modeling of submarine cyclic steps: Controls on their formation, migration, and architecture" . Geosphere . 7 (2): 294–304. Bibcode :2011Geosp...7..294K . doi :10.1130/GES00601.1 . ISSN 1553-040X .
^ Urgeles, Roger; Cattaneo, Antonio; Puig, Pere; Liquete, Camino; De Mol, Ben; Amblàs, David; Sultan, Nabil; Trincardi, Fabio (2011-03-01). "A review of undulated sediment features on Mediterranean prodeltas: distinguishing sediment transport structures from sediment deformation" . Marine Geophysical Research . 32 (1): 49–69. Bibcode :2011MarGR..32...49U . doi :10.1007/s11001-011-9125-1 . hdl :2445/124788 . ISSN 1573-0581 . S2CID 45489203 .
^ Shao, Da-Li; Fan, Guo-Zhang; Wang, Hai-Qiang; Ma, Hong-Xia; Zuo, Guo-Ping; Ding, Liang-Bo; Cai, Zheng; Li, Wei-Qiang (2021-02-01). "3D anatomy and flow dynamics of net-depositional cyclic steps on the world's largest submarine fan: a joint 3D seismic and numerical approach" . Petroleum Science . 18 (1): 10–28. Bibcode :2021PetSc..18...10S . doi :10.1007/s12182-020-00512-3 . ISSN 1995-8226 .
^ Cartigny, Matthieu J.B.; Postma, George; Van Den Berg, Jan H.; Mastbergen, Dick R. (2011-02-15). "A comparative study of sediment waves and cyclic steps based on geometries, internal structures and numerical modeling" . Marine Geology . 280 (1–4): 40–56. Bibcode :2011MGeol.280...40C . doi :10.1016/j.margeo.2010.11.006 . ISSN 0025-3227 .
^ Kostic, Svetlana; Parker, Gary (2006-09-01). "The response of turbidity currents to a canyon–fan transition: internal hydraulic jumps and depositional signatures" . Journal of Hydraulic Research . 44 (5): 631–653. Bibcode :2006JHydR..44..631K . doi :10.1080/00221686.2006.9521713 . ISSN 0022-1686 . S2CID 53700725 .
^ Kostic, Svetlana; Smith, Isaac B. (2018-11-15). "Water on Mars: Do submarine cyclic steps exist on the red planet?" . Progress in Earth and Planetary Science . 5 (1): 76. Bibcode :2018PEPS....5...76K . doi :10.1186/s40645-018-0225-2 . ISSN 2197-4284 .