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Table 2 Comparison of subaerial river currents and subaqueous turbidity currents (partly based on Shanmugam 1997)

From: The hyperpycnite problem

Features

River currents

Turbidity currents

Ambient fluid

Air

Water

Rheology of fluid

Newtonian

Newtonian

Type of gravity influence

Fluid gravity

Sediment gravity

Nature of flow

Uniform\steady\and continuous

Uniform\unsteady\and episodic

Sediment concentration

Low (1%−5% by volume)

High (1%−23% by volume)

Dominant transport of sand

Bed load

Suspended load

Dominant structures

Cross bedding

Normally graded bedding