hills. The rock mass illustrated in Plate 27 rep- 

 resents an allochthonous slab moved into place 

 at this locality. 



The present photographic investigation, cou- 

 pled with an earlier subbottom survey during 

 RoS, indicates that the Nyckel Ridge is not 

 simply a deep-sea levee (Stanley and Kelling, 

 19fi8a). This topographic high developed as a 

 structural feature and serves as an important 

 internal source of sediment as a result of expo- 

 sure to bottom current activity, erosion, and 

 slumping. In effect, it plays a dominant role in 

 intrabasinal sedimentation. 



Evidence gathered on the basis of the photo- 

 graphic study does not allow a categorical an- 

 swer to the problem of the Wilmington Can- 

 yon's contemporary funneling role. An evalua- 

 tion of the past present functions of the canyon 

 in the context of deep sea sedimentation off the 

 Atlantic margin clearly requires further inves- 

 tigation. A comparison of the dominant pat- 

 terns in the Wilmington Canyon with those of 

 adjacent features including Baltimore, Wash- 

 ington, and Norfolk Canyons should eventually 

 lead to the creation of a sedimentation model 

 for canyons of this type. 



90 



