In Memory of Arnold Bouma

This is my addition to Ron Schott’s post on the passing of Arnold Bouma.

Here are my pictures of a turbidity current sequence. Not a complete Bouma sequence and not very good quality pictures but a sequence of turbidity currents it is without doubt.

Bouma described the sequence, later named after him, in 1962. It was almost half a century ago! So he must have lived a really very long life? Actually not so long. He was young when he made his most famous discovery. The same applies to many famous scientists. Einstein and Darwin for example were not even 30 when they already knew things that made them very famous later.

Turbidite sequence in the Spanish Pyrenees. Lighter and tougher layers are composed of sand and silt mostly. Darker and softer layers are mostly mudstone that were deposited on top of the sandy layer.

The layers are tilted because of the orogeny that created the Pyrenees and pushed the former marine sediments into near vertical position.