THE CHARO ARRO CANYON-MOUTH SHEET SYSTEM, SOUTH-CENTRAL PYRENEES, SPAIN - A STRUCTURALLY INFLUENCED ZONE OF SEDIMENT DISPERSAL

Detailed field and photogeological mapping of the Charo Canyon and Arr o Sandbody, which can be traced directly into the canyon, shows the re lationships between shelf, slope, canyon, and base-of-slope deposition , The Charo Canyon is incised into slope and shelf facies of the Casti sent Group (50.5-49.5 Ma), and was a sediment conduit for turbidity cu rrents and their deposits during the upper part of the Castisent Group , and the Santa Liestra Group (49.5-44 Ma), The Arro Sandbody, downslo pe from the Charo Canyon, belongs to the upper part of the Castisent G roup, Unlike the overlying Santa Liestra channel complex, the Arro San dbody, shows few features typical of a channel fill deposit, but is ch aracterized by a base of-slope facies as sociation in front of the can yon mouth, The key factors influencing the internal architecture of th e Arro Sandbody were variations in slope angle and an increase in sedi ment supply, both factors being largely controlled by mid-Castisent th rust activity, This paper describes the composite fill of the Charo Ca nyon and investigates its relationship to the depositional setting of the downcanyon deposits.