This research will formulate a model for turbidite deposition in the Catskill Sea that can resolve important problems encountered in modern and ancient submarine fan research, in Devonian sea level curves, and in recent sequence stratigraphy models. An additional objective is to resolve the present controversy of submarine fan vs. non-fan deposition in the Catskill Sea. PIs will construct a model of 1) deposition and flow character for individual, nonchannelized turbidity currents and 2) submarine fan development in western New York. PIs will study the vertical and lateral variations in the sedimentology and stratigraphy of individual sand layers in three members of the Upper Devonian of western New York. A pilot project demonstrates that the many gorges and ravines in western New York provide the control necessary to trace individual sandstone layers across the region, allowing us to characterize the lateral variability in bedforms, texture and thickness of individual sandstone layers. Application of the detailed Devonian model to modern and ancient turbidite systems will provide insights into their development, thereby resolving some of the remaining uncertainties.
