Seismic geomorphology of buried channel systems on the New Jersey outer shelf: assessing past environmental conditions

Quantitative geomorphologic analysis of shallowly buried, dendritic channel systems on the New Jersey shelf provides estimates of paleo-hydrologic parameters needed to link channel morphology to the former hydrodynamic setting. These channels, observed in 1–4 kHz deep-towed chirp seismic data, formed presumably as fluvial systems when the shelf was exposed during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The presumed fluvial origin of these channels is supported by their incision into underlying Pleistocene strata, a chaotic seismic fill unit at their bases which may be indicative of non-marine gravel lag, and measured stream junction angles that are consistent with a riverine origin. The channels would also have been subjected to estuarine/tidal environments during ensuing sea-level rise. We employ empirically derived hydraulic equations for modern rivers and estuaries to estimate paleo-discharges, velocities and maximum shear stresses, using the preserved and interpolated paleo-channel geometries as a guide. Generally, trunk/main channels have box-like, symmetric cross-sections, with width/depth ratios of >100, whereas smaller, tributary channels have more v-shaped, asymmetric cross-sections with width/depth ratios of ∼40–70. The high width/depth ratios, along with low sinuosities (∼1.1) and slopes (