Abyssal channels are channels in Earth's
sea floor. They are formed by fast-flowing floods of
turbid water caused by
avalanches near the channel's head, with the
sediment carried by the water causing a build-up of the surrounding
abyssal plains. Submarine channels and the turbidite systems which form them are responsible for the accumulation of most sandstone deposits found on continental slopes and have proven to be one of the most common types of hydrocarbon reservoirs found in these regions (Weimer et al., 2000).