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Any extensive erosion on the Greater Antilles Outer<br />

Ri dge shoul d be detected by a strong near-bottom nephel oi d<br />

layer, but this is not observed (Fig. 7.2). Furthermore,<br />

there is no evidence in high-frequency sub-bottom profiles<br />

taken over the outer ridge for the small-scale lensing or<br />

unconformities that erosion would create (Fig. 2.1).<br />

Although transient current speeds may infrequently become<br />

high enough to erode the outer ridge sediment, the average<br />

current speeds observed are low enough that most of the<br />

215<br />

material thus entrained is probably redeposited very quickly,<br />

and the area must be characterized as largely depositional.<br />

The activity of benthic organisms on the Greater Antilles<br />

Outer Ridge may also resuspend sediment (see Fig. 4.4), but<br />

the intensity of resuspension and the character of the re-<br />

worked detritus are uncertain. Therefore it is not possible<br />

at present to evaluate the significance of this mechanism.<br />

DISCUSSION<br />

The volume of transparent sediments above Datum A on<br />

the Greater Antilles Outer Ridge is roughly 6 x 104km3, and<br />

the mass approximately 1.2 x 1020g at an average sediment<br />

density of 2.0 g/cm3. Using the present water-volume<br />

transport of 1.6 x 106m3/sec and a suspended matter concen-<br />

tration of 50 ~g/i, approximately 1.2 x 1020 grams of<br />

sediment could have been transported into the region of the<br />

Greater Anti 11 es Outer Ri dge since mi ddl e Eocene ti me (the<br />

assumed age of Datum A). These rough calculations indicate

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