Post-glacial sandy contourite drifts in the Malta-Gozo Channel (Pelagian Platform, central Mediterranean Sea): Characteristics, bottom currents and implication for shallow-water contourite systems

An increasing number of studies have documented the occurrence of sandy contourites in modern systems. However, knowledge on their characteristics and links with oceanographic processes remains limited. In particular, the pattern of bottom current circulation on the Pelagian Platform (central Mediterranean Sea) and its driving mechanisms are poorly understood. To address these gaps, we analyse newly acquired very high-resolution geophysical and sedimentological data from offshore the Maltese Islands, which allow us to identify small-scale, sandy contourite drifts (named EM1–5), located in shallow water (depths between 50 and ~ 100 m). Using a dense grid of high-resolution seismic profiles, multibeam bathymetry, and sedimentological analyses, we detail the internal and external geometry, morphology, and sedimentology of the deposits. Drifts EM1a, EM1b, EM1c, EM2, EM3, and EM5 appear as small elongated mounded deposits (separated and plastered drifts) cropping on the shelf seafloor, while EM4 is a buried mounded deposit located in the southern part of the study area. The spatial distribution of the studied drifts suggests that their formation is driven by a mesoscale anticyclonic gyre, tentatively ascribed to the Malta-Sicily Gyre, with currents enhanced by topographic interactions. Stratigraphic evidence suggests that this oceanographic dynamic has played a significant role in shaping the Maltese insular shelf since at least the Holocene, highlighting the potential of the Pelagian Platform to form carbonate sandy contourites. These findings advance the understanding of shallow-water (shelf-channelized) contourite systems and offer valuable insights to refine sedimentation models for carbonate-rich contourite deposits in temperate settings. • First finding of shallow-water sandy contourites on Maltese shelf. • An infralittoral prograding wedge was identified at the base of the Comino cliff. • The anticyclonic Malta-Sicily Gyre develops contourite drifts. • Bottom currents play a role in shaping the seafloor at least since the Holocene.