Late Pleistocene and Holocene depositional facies of the Almeria Channel (Alboran Sea, Western Mediterranean)

Abstract

Late Pleistocene and Holocene depositional patterns of the Almeria Turbidite Channel (Alboran Sea, Western Mediterranean) were investigated using multi-proxy analyses of the sediment properties in seven cores from the proximal, medial, and distal channel depositional environments. Turbidites interbedded with hemipelagic facies during the Pleistocene and hemipelagic facies during the Holocene were found, with a recent turbidite event taking place later than 1.3 ka. In the Almeria region, Pleistocene turbidite emplacement was controlled by sea-level position and by the canyon–channel connection to the sediment loads provided by the Andarax River and three tributary valley systems. During the Holocene, the Almeria Channel gradually became inactive as sea level reached its present position. The most recent turbidite deposition is related to local tectonics and morphological factors at the canyon head