Abstract A sediment drift complex, resulting from the activity of the northward flowing Levantine Intermediate Water, occurs in intermediate water depth (300–600 m) on the eastern flank of the Corsica Basin. Because of the effect of topographic constriction, bottom currents are here accelerated, reaching velocities that are sufficient to erode, transport and redistribute fine-grained sediment. The sediment drift complex shows a variety of depositional and erosional features that appear very similar to oceanic examples. The development of such features appears to be mainly controlled by an interaction between the bottom current regime and slope topography. Seismic geometries and core data show that such features have grown since middle Pliocene time under a long-term stable bottom-current regime. Short-term variability of current efficiency, a concept including the combined effects of current speed, sediment availability and local topography, as a result of climate and sea-level changes, is recorded by the cyclical superposition of small-scale depositional units.

Abstract Large-scale Gilbert-type delta deposits occur on the southern side of the Gulf of Corinth in Greece. They accumulated adjacent to the very steep margins of listric-fault blocks. The deltaic complexes consist of very thick (up to 700 m) foreset packages that pass into bottomset strata, which, in turn. pass into thin-bedded turbidites. Topset deposits are well preserved and are the keys to interpreting the fan-delta bodies in architectural terms. The geometric pattern is discussed in terms of accommodation, that is the vertical space made available for the sedimentation. Where there is no accommodation, the topset environment is bypassed and, geometrically, toplap boundaries occur. With increasing accommodation, fluvial topset strata are formed: they pass downdip into the foreset beds. At higher accommodation values, transgressive deposits occur. If accommodation is too high, the transgressive sediments are drowned and foreset beds form on top.