Quaternary hyperpycnal fans on the shelf of an active margin basin, Northern Santa Barbara Channel, California

The small mountainous rivers draining the Transverse Ranges of southern California are known to form sediment-rich hyperpycnal plumes on the adjacent shelf during flooding events. Six fans were recently identified using sonar and lidar data in the northern Santa Barbara Channel and represent a unique opportunity to sample hyperpycnal deposits that have not been reworked or remobilized by other sedimentary processes. The two largest of these fans are those located directly offshore of Refugio and Tajiguas Creeks and are found in 20m to 70m water depths. We conducted shallow seismic surveys to image the morphology and internal architecture of the two fans. Internal reflectors define three seismic packages within the fans and isopach maps of these packages are presented. Geometries of the seismic reflections are interpreted to represent a shift from erosion of material over the most proximal fan locations to deposition of sediment with little or no erosion in distal portions. In several locations, dipping reflections can be clearly seen beneath an unconformity. Where present, this unconformity is interpreted to represent the base of the Holocene section overlying deformed Neogene strata. We report the results of a coring campaign on one of these fans designed to characterize the grain size, grain shape, and facies trends of hyperpycnal deposits. Additionally, petrology of core samples was compared to modern river samples to determine source regions. By analyzing sedimentation patterns and structures found in the fans of the Santa Barbara Channel, we hope to identify features that can be used to distinguish hyperpycnal deposition from other density-driven flows.