Canyons and recent sedimentary processes on the western Gulf of Lions margin.: First results of the Calmar cruise

A cruise with R.V. L'Atalante in 1997 allowed the swath-bathymetric mapping of the western part of the Gulf of Lions margin, together with sub-bottom and seismic profiling. The new data set reveals the importance of Lacaze-Duthiers and Sete canyons in sediment transfer from the shelf to the basin. There is evidence of recent activity of several canyons, as well as a large debris flow originated both from the western flank of the Rhone deep-sea fan and from the western Gulf of Lions. This event took place between 22 000 and 10 000 y BP. ((C) Academie des sciences / Elsevier, Paris).