Maximum current velocities of bottom currents in different parts of the world's oceans are summarized in this table. Measured current velocities usually range from 1 to 20 cm/s (Hollister and Heezen, 1972); however, exceptionally strong, near-bottom currents with maximum velocities of up to 300 cm/s were recorded in the Strait of Gibraltar (Gonthier et al., 1984). Bottom-current velocities of 73 cm/s were measured at a water depth of 5 km on the lower continental rise off Nova Scotia (Richardson et al., 1981). Heezen and Hollister (1971) suggested that at extremely high bottom velocities of over 100 cm/s, relict pockets of sand and gravel may occur on the barren seafloor. According to Bulfinch and Ledbetter (1983/1984), a Deep Western Boundary Undercurrent (DWBUC) flows south along the North American continental slope and rise between 1,000 m and 5,000 m. The DWBUC has a 300-km wide high-velocity zone, with a maximum measured velocity of 73 cm/s, which winnows both fine and very fine silt, and results in deposition of medium and coarse silt.
The data is taken from 'New Perspectives on Deep-water Sandstones' by G. Shanmugam, in Handbook of Petroleum Exploration and Production, 2012.
| Study area | Study | Depth m | Max. current velocity cm/s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straits of Gibraltar | Gonthier et al., 1984 | 400-1400 | 300 |
| Upper slope. Offshore Brazil, Equatorial Atlantic | Viana et al., 1998 | 200 | 300 |
| Gulf of Mexico, Loop Current | Cooper et al., 1990 | 100 | 204 |
| Green Canyon 166 area, Gulf of Mexico, during drilling operations 1989 | Koch et al., 1991 | 45 | 153 |
| Faeroe Bank Channel, North Atlantic | Crease, 1965 | 760 | 709 |
| Rise, Off Nova Scotia, North Atlantic | Richardson et al., 1981 | 5000 | 73 |
| Base of North American Continental Rise | Bulfinch & Ledbetter, 1983 | 5022 | 73 |
| Ryukyu Trench, Japan | Tsuji, 1993 | 340 | 51 |
| Samoan Passage, Western South Pacific | Hollister et al., 1974 | 50 | |
| Hebrides Slope, North Atlantic | Howe & Humphrey, 1995 | 403-468 | 48 |
| Faeroe-Shetland Channel, North Atlantic | Akhurst, 1991 | 900 | 33 |
| Rise near Hatteras Canyon, North Atlantic | Rowe, 1971 | 33 | |
| Carnegie Ridge, Eastern Equatorial Pacific | Lonsdale & Malfait, 1974 | 1000-2000 | 30 |
| SE of Iceland, North Atlantic | Steele et al., 1962 | 2100 | 30 |
| Argentine Basin, Western South Atlantic | Ewing et al., 1971 | 30 | |
| Amirante Passage, Western Indian Ocean | Johnson & Damuth, 1979 | 4000-4600 | 30 |
| Rise, Off New England, North Atlantic | Zimmermann, 1971 | 3000-5000 | 26.5 |
| Blake-Bahama Outer Ridge, North Atlantic | Amos et al., 1971 | 4300-5200 | 26 |
| Off North Carolina, North Atlantic | Rowe & Menzies, 1968 | 1500-4000 | 25 |
| Off Cape Cod, North Atlantic | Volkman, 1962 | 10-3200 | 21.5 |
| Off Cape Hatteras, North Atlantic | Barrett, 1965 | 21 | |
| Greater Antilles Outer Ridge, North Atlantic | Tucholke et al., 1973 | 5300-5800 | 20 |
| Off Blake Plateau, North Atlantic | Swallow & Worthington, 1961 | 3300-3500 | 20 |
| Tonga Trench and vicinity, Western South Pacific | Reid, 1969 | >4800 | 19 |
| Western North Atlantic | Wust, 1950 | 2000-3000 | 17 |
| West Bermuda Rise, North Atlantic | Knauss, 1965 | 5200 | 17 |
| Scotia Ridge, Antarctic Cicumpolar Current, Antarctica | Zenk, 1981 | 3008 | 17 |
| Greenland-Iceland-Faeroes Ridge, North Atlantic | Worthington & Volkman, 1965 | 2000-3000 | 12 |
| Antillean-Caribbean Basin (outer), North Atlantic | Wust, 1963 | 4000-8000 | 10 |
