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191<br />

Fig. 6. 2) i son 1 y a b 0 u to. 05° C wa rme r t h ant hat en t e r i n g the<br />

basin through the Vema Gap, with no change in either the e/S<br />

or Si/e relationships.<br />

If mixing between NADW and AABW is not important in the<br />

southern extension of the Western Boundary Undercurrent,<br />

there are two ways in which AABW can serve to transport<br />

sediment from the continental rise southward to the Greater<br />

Antilles Outer Ridge. First, the'AABW itself may erode<br />

sediment in its southward flow along the base of the lower<br />

continental rise. The geostrophic calculations of Amos,<br />

Gordon, and Schneider (1971), based on a reference level of<br />

2500 m, show current speeds greater than 25 cm/sec in water<br />

colder than 1.70e on the Blake-Bahama Outer Ridge. These<br />

speeds are s uffi ci ent to transport fi ne-grai ned debri s<br />

(see Fig. 3 of Hollister and Heezen, 1972), and, since<br />

sedi ments on the Bl ake-Bahama Outer Ri dge and conti nental<br />

ri se are not as uni formly fi ne-grai ned as sedi ments on the<br />

Greater Antilles Outer Ridge, the currents may also erode<br />

the sediments along the continental margin. Occasional<br />

hi gher speeds woul d almost certai nly cause erosi on<br />

(Partheni ades, 1962; Southard and others, 1971;<br />

Zimmerman, 1971). Erosional patterns have been detected<br />

in seismic profiles and by deep-sea drilling on the Blake-<br />

Bahama Outer Ri dge (Holl i ster and others, 197Z) and in<br />

3.5-kHz profiles further north on the continental rise<br />

south of New England (R. Young, pers. comm.). However, any<br />

)

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