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Bathymetric ridges off Ras Spartel, western termination of the Strait of Gibraltar: Genetic considerations of singular shelf-margin morphological features.

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Title: Bathymetric ridges off Ras Spartel, western termination of the Strait of Gibraltar: Genetic considerations of singular shelf-margin morphological features.
Authors: Le Roy, Pascal1 (AUTHOR) pascal.leroy@univ-brest.fr, Lobo, Francisco José2 (AUTHOR), Durán, Ruth3 (AUTHOR), Duarte, Debora2 (AUTHOR), Virat, Léna4 (AUTHOR), Sahabi, Mohamed5 (AUTHOR), Franzetti, Marcaurelio1 (AUTHOR), Grall, Jacques6 (AUTHOR), Garlan, Thierry7 (AUTHOR)
Source: Geomorphology. Oct2026, Vol. 510, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p.
Subjects: Submarine topography, Continental margins, Relative sea level change, Sedimentation & deposition, Deep-sea corals, Sand dunes, Paleoceanography
Abstract: This study reports for the first time the occurrence of a field of large bathymetric ridges documented along the Moroccan Western Rifan shelf margin in the southern Gulf of Cadiz, southwest of Spartel Headland. These ridges extend along the outer shelf and the shelf break in a highly dynamic hydrological context. The dataset consists of swath bathymetric data, Sparker seismic profiles, and sediment samples. This study is primarily exploratory in nature and is not constrained by direct ground-truth data. Nevertheless, the characterization of these previously undocumented morphologies provides important insights into the evolution of the shelf margin and justify discussing their possible origin. Results highlight N-S trending, several kilometres long bathymetric ridges with heights reaching more than 20 m. Their internal architecture reveals four generations of buried preserved ridges. Several potential genetic mechanisms are discussed considering the overarching influence of Quaternary sea-level changes, shelf-margin physiography, and (paleo)oceanographic conditions. The ridge morphometrics, and the spatial relationship of the most recent ridges with current patterns suggest that they can be interpreted as submarine bedforms. They may correspond either to active submarine dunes formed by a branch of the North Atlantic Central Water or to sand ridges inherited from lower sea-level stages. Conversely, the long-term preservation of buried ridges is also consistent with an evolutionary scenario dominated by growth and demise of cold-water corals. While the available data do not allow us to conclusively determine the nature of these features, we suggest that their development may be explained by alternative hydro-sedimentary and biogenic processes. [Display omitted] • A field of several kilometres long bathymetric ridges is imaged for the first time. • Morphologies suggest structures perpendicular to the prevailing current. • The internal geometry is characterized by four generations of stacked ridges. • The ridges may correspond to cold-water corals and/or large bedforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Abstract:This study reports for the first time the occurrence of a field of large bathymetric ridges documented along the Moroccan Western Rifan shelf margin in the southern Gulf of Cadiz, southwest of Spartel Headland. These ridges extend along the outer shelf and the shelf break in a highly dynamic hydrological context. The dataset consists of swath bathymetric data, Sparker seismic profiles, and sediment samples. This study is primarily exploratory in nature and is not constrained by direct ground-truth data. Nevertheless, the characterization of these previously undocumented morphologies provides important insights into the evolution of the shelf margin and justify discussing their possible origin. Results highlight N-S trending, several kilometres long bathymetric ridges with heights reaching more than 20 m. Their internal architecture reveals four generations of buried preserved ridges. Several potential genetic mechanisms are discussed considering the overarching influence of Quaternary sea-level changes, shelf-margin physiography, and (paleo)oceanographic conditions. The ridge morphometrics, and the spatial relationship of the most recent ridges with current patterns suggest that they can be interpreted as submarine bedforms. They may correspond either to active submarine dunes formed by a branch of the North Atlantic Central Water or to sand ridges inherited from lower sea-level stages. Conversely, the long-term preservation of buried ridges is also consistent with an evolutionary scenario dominated by growth and demise of cold-water corals. While the available data do not allow us to conclusively determine the nature of these features, we suggest that their development may be explained by alternative hydro-sedimentary and biogenic processes. [Display omitted] • A field of several kilometres long bathymetric ridges is imaged for the first time. • Morphologies suggest structures perpendicular to the prevailing current. • The internal geometry is characterized by four generations of stacked ridges. • The ridges may correspond to cold-water corals and/or large bedforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:0169555X
DOI:10.1016/j.geomorph.2026.110387