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History of a Foreland Basin




By stage III the basin has undergone most of its rapid subsidence, although it will continue to subside slowly for a long time yet. The water is very deep and in the deeper portions black shales are accumulating as before. But now with the mountain raised substantially, large volumes of sediment avalanche into the basin as turbidity currents and begin to build a submarine fan.
     At this stage the depositional environments are in a short system; that is, a high mountain right next to a deep water basin so that the only depositional environments present are proximal alluvial fans/braided rivers near the mountain dumping almost directly into submarine fans, skipping the intermediate meandering river, shoreline, and shelf environments.

   On to Stage IV.
   Return to Stage II.
   Return to Stage H.

Last Update: 9/05/00

e-mail: (Fichtels@jmu.edu)