Exhumed rotational slides and scar infill features in a Cretaceous delta front, eastern Spitsbergen

Abstract

Coastal cliff exposures in the Helvetiafjellet Fm. deltaic succession near Kvalvågen on eastern Spitsbergen show spectacular evidence of syndepositional, gravity-driven deformation and resedimentation associated with delta-front instability, most probably triggered by earthquakes. This short article summarizes the results of a recent study of these features, with emphasis on the actual sequence of processes recorded in the outcrop. Detailed analysis of the structural style of the delta-front collapse and the associated sedimentation processes is presented elsewhere (Nemec et al. 1988).