Contourite on the Limpopo Corridor, Mozambique margin: Long‐term evolution, facies distribution and Plio‐Quaternary processes

Bottom currents are key processes that contribute to the shaping of submarine slopes, with redistribution sediments in contourite systems. Despite numerous recent studies on systems, complexity and diversity these sedimentary systems still not fully understood often underestimated. Their understanding requires comprehensive works integrating all scales from seismic architecture microfacies. This paper focuses a contouritic ridge located between 2000 m 2500 water depth Mozambique margin. Bathymetry, data piston cores collected during PAMELA-MOZ3 cruise allow multi-scale study large depositional geometries facies. At scale, shows three stages evolution with: (i) initiation development drift/moat system; (ii) an intermediate stage successive incisions aggradations; (iii) moat infill drift erosion Plio-Quaternary. Plio-Quaternary deposits composed hemipelagic, turbiditic facies filling moat. Coarse-grained facies, dominated by planktonic foraminifera, identified western flank erosional area at top ridge. They consist condensed deposits, sedimentation rate about 0.3 cm/ka, indicating strong stable bottom current winnows away fine-grained component. could be present more generally position areas present, system is transition North Atlantic Deep Water Antarctic Intermediate Water. Trajectories complex interact sporadic turbidity anti-clockwise eddies participate reshaping sea floor morphology. Although indicate end development, also related constitute atypical sedimentation.