Abstract

Underwater Canyons: A Cosmic, Novel Explanation of their Formation
Track: Ocean and Maritime
Authors: Michael Jaye, Kristen Tsolis

This presentation proposes an alternative mechanism that formed submarine canyons common to continental margins worldwide. Through the GIS-based analysis, this presentation will show that these underwater features were subaerially carved by waters draining from formerly upland regions and energized by significant gravitational potentials. These features were submerged and preserved in more than three kilometers of water delivered by a comet that impacted in what is now the Southern Ocean.