Turbidity current

A downslope-moving flow of sediment-laden water whose excess density drives it along the seabed. It transports sediment and deposits it as the flow slows.

Turbidity current head: The turbulent front of a turbidity current, where dense fluid entrains surrounding water and sediment. Its mixing and sediment pickup help the current maintain forward motion.
Submarine landslide: A mass movement of sediment or rock down a submerged slope. Its sudden sediment release can generate a turbidity current.
Turbulence: Irregular fluid motion characterized by fluctuating velocities and mixing across scales. Turbulent mixing keeps sediment suspended and shapes the current's structure.
Submarine fan: A fan-shaped accumulation of sediment on the deep seafloor, commonly built by flows emerging from submarine canyons. Repeated currents spread sediment into fan-shaped deposits across basin floors.
Debris flow: A gravity-driven mass movement in which sediment and fluid move together as a concentrated mixture. Debris flows carry sediment at higher concentrations and often behave differently from turbulent currents.
Turbidity current body: The main part of a turbidity current, carrying a sustained mixture of water and suspended sediment behind its head. Its sediment concentration and flow structure govern transport behind the front.
River delta: A sediment-built landform where a river enters a standing body of water and loses transport capacity. Unstable delta-front sediment can collapse and feed downslope flows.
Fluid density: Mass per unit volume of a fluid, affected by its composition, temperature, and suspended material. Suspended sediment raises the mixture's density above the surrounding water.
Submarine canyon: A steep-sided valley incised into the continental shelf and slope or adjacent seafloor. Currents can erode, traverse, and reshape canyons while carrying sediment to deeper water.
Contour current: A persistent bottom current that flows along contours of the seafloor, commonly driven by ocean-water density differences. It transports sediment mainly along the seabed rather than downslope in a sediment-driven surge.

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