Despite numerous efforts to properly differentiate between contourites and other deep‐water deposits in cores and outcrops, reliable diagnostic criteria are still lacking. The co‐occurrence of downslope and along‐slope sedimentary processes makes it particularly difficult to differentiate these relatively homogeneous deposits. The main aim of this paper is to identify differences in deep‐water sediments based on Principal Component Analysis of grain size and geochemistry, sedimentary facies, and reinforced by microfacies and ichnofacies. The sediments studied were obtained from two International Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 339 sites in mounded and sheeted drifts in the Gulf of Cadiz. The statistical approach led to the discernment of hemipelagites, silty contourites, sandy contourites, bottom current reworked sands, fine‐grained turbidites and debrites over a range of depositional and physiographic elements. These elements are linked to contourite drifts, the drift‐channel transition, the contourite channel and distal upper slope. When bottom currents or gravity‐driven flows are not the dominant depositional process, marine productivity and continental input settling forms the main depositional mechanism in deep‐water environments. This is reflected by a high variability of the first principal component in hemipelagic deposits. The stacked principal component variability of these deposits evidences that the contourite drift and the adjacent contourite channel were influenced by the interrelation of hemipelagic, gravitational and bottom current induced depositional processes. This interrelation questions the paradigm that a drift is made up solely of muddy sediments. The interrelation of sedimentary processes is a consequence of the precession‐driven changes in the intensity of the Mediterranean Outflow Water related to Mediterranean climate variability, which are punctuated by millennial‐scale variability. Associated vertical and lateral shifts of the Mediterranean Outflow Water, and therefore of its interface with the East North Atlantic Central Water, controlled sediment input and favoured turbulent sediment transport in the middle slope. During the interglacial precession maxima/insolation minima, a more vigorous upper core of the Mediterranean Outflow Water and the enhanced impact of the East North Atlantic Central Water – Mediterranean Outflow Water interface allowed for the development of the sandier contourite deposits.

中文翻译：

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加的斯湾等高线沉积系统中的轮廓线特征及其与其他深水沉积的区别

尽管为区分轮廓岩和岩心和露头中的其他深水沉积物做出了许多努力，但仍然缺乏可靠的诊断标准。下坡和顺坡沉积过程的共同出现使得区分这些相对均质的沉积物特别困难。本文的主要目的是基于颗粒大小和地球化学，沉积相以及由微相和含金相增强的主成分分析来识别深水沉积物中的差异。研究的沉积物是从两个国际海洋钻探计划探险队339站点获得的，这些站点位于加的斯湾的成堆的和成片的漂流中。统计方法导致了对半铁矿，粉质等高线，砂质等高线，底流再造砂的辨别，一系列沉积和地貌要素上的细粒浊度和碎屑。这些元素与轮廓线漂移，漂移通道过渡，轮廓线通道和远侧上坡有关。当底流或重力驱动的水流不是主要的沉积过程时，海洋生产力和大陆输入沉降是深水环境中的主要沉积机制。这在半沉积物中第一主成分的高度可变性中得到了反映。这些沉积物的堆叠主成分变异性证明，半流，重力和底部电流诱发的沉积过程之间的相互关系影响了半圆沸石的漂移和相邻的半圆沸石通道。这种相互关系质疑这样一个范式，即漂移完全由泥泞的沉积物组成。沉积过程的相互关系是由进动引起的与地中海气候变化有关的地中海流出水强度变化的结果，而千禧年尺度的变化则突显了这些变化。地中海流出水的相关垂直和横向变化，因此与东部北大西洋中央水的界面相关，控制了泥沙输入，并有利于中坡的湍流泥沙输送。在冰川间岁差最大值/日射最小值期间，