Observed parameters for turbidity-current flow in channels, Reserve Fan, Lake Superior

Fine-grained tailings discharged from a taconite-ore processing operation produced turbidity currents that transported the sediment from a small delta into deep water at Silver Bay, Minnesota. Calculations using the average flow speeds (8 to 12 cm/sec) and the dilute concentration of the flow as measured during the experiment yield a value for the drag coefficient that is in remarkable agreement with estimated values commonly used for deriving speeds of turbidity currents using dimensions of submarine channels and properties of the sediments. -from Author