It should be clear from these examp

It should be clear from these examples that anydeep-water deposit can be interpreted as a product ofa turbidity current, no matter what the rheology orsediment-support mechanism of the flow is. On theother hand, if we wish to broaden the definition of‘turbidity current’ to include all kinds of deep-seaprocesses, then there is no need for a classification ofsediment-gravity flows based on rheology and sediment-support mechanism. Until we resolve this fundamental issue, most deep-water deposits will continue to be interpreted as turbidites whether thesesediments were deposited by turbidity currents ornot. This explains why many examples that I havereinterpreted as debris flows were previously interpreted as turbidites by other workers. The primaryreason for interpreting any deep-water deposit assome kind of turbidite is that it allows us to placethese deposits in a predictable submarine-fan setting. Our affinity to fan models embedded in our psyche subconsciously drives us to interpret any deep-water deposit as a turbidite (Fig. 6).