Highlights

Sandy siliciclastic clinoforms represent the net product of sediment exported from the shoreface and transported to a depositional site where wave action decreases.  As a follow-up to their companion paper (Mitchell et al.), Mitchell tests the concept that clinoforms in wave-agitated settings are shaped by gravity-induced sediment transport downslope, with flux that is proportional to depositional topographic gradient.  An analytical expression illustrates how, in such situations, smooth (diffusive) topography develops, and that curvature of rollovers is proportional to wave properties and sediment flux.  These results reveal the linkages among rollover geometry, sediment flux, and waves, and reveal insights that could be useful for forward modeling of stratigraphy, estimating sediment budgets, and wave-property reconstruction, such as might be utilized to understand ancient wave climates.

Modeling the rollovers of sandy clinoforms from the gravity effect on wave-agitated sand by Neil C. Mitchell