Deep-water (below wave base) processes, although generallyhidden from view, shape the sedimentary record of more than 65% ofthe Earth’s surface, including large parts of ancientmountain belts. This book aims to inform advanced-levelundergraduate and postgraduate students, and professional Earthscientists with interests in physical oceanography and hydrocarbonexploration and production, about many of the important physicalaspects of deep-water (mainly deep-marine) systems. The authorsconsider transport and deposition in the deep sea, trace-fossilassemblages, and facies stacking patterns as an archive of theunderlying controls on deposit architecture (e.g., seismicity,climate change, autocyclicity). Topics include modern and ancientdeep-water sedimentary environments, tectonic settings, and howbasinal and extra-basinal processes generate the typicalcharacteristics of basin slopes, submarine canyons, contouritemounds and drifts, submarine fans, basin floors and abyssalplains.