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Hyperpycnite
You may have heard of turbidites. This type of deposit forms from pulse-like flows, where sediment travels rapidly down a slope because of a gravity contrast with the surrounding fluid. Turbidites typically show an upward decrease in gain size and a vertical succession of structures (massive/planar laminated/ripple cross-laminated) indicative of decreasing energy of the flow. There are, however, some deposits that differ from turbidites by showing a symmetric internal organization, with increasing…
Bedforms
Bedforms are morphological patterns that form at the interface of flowing fluid and a bed of moving sediment. Typical examples include dunes and ripples. Lateral migration of bedforms can generate sedimentary structures, like ripple cross-lamination or cross-stratification. Geology students often mix up the concept of bedform and sedimentary structure: ripples are bedforms (not sedimentary structures) and ripple cross-lamination is a sedimentary structure (not a bedform). Sometimes, like in this…