Sea-level–induced seismicity and submarine landslide occurrence

Brothers, Daniel S.; Luttrell, Karen; Chaytor, Jason D.

doi:10.1130/g34410.1

Cited by 75 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The fluvial influence on the canyons is observed in both the geomorphic features and grain size, where coarse to medium grained, shelly terrigenous sands are observed adjacent to the canyon heads (Obelcz et al, 2014). The Mid-Atlantic region is also marked by a seaward thickening wedge of shelf edge delta deposits (200-400 m thick) (Hill et al, 2004;D.S. Brothers et al, 2013).…”

Section: Formation Model and Paleoenvironmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights into methane dynamics from analysis of authigenic carbonates and chemosynthetic mussels at newly-discovered Atlantic Margin seeps

Prouty

Sahy

Ruppel

et al. 2016

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

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The recent discovery of active methane venting along the US northern and mid-Atlantic margin represents a new source of global methane not previously accounted for in carbon budgets from this region. However, uncertainty remains as to the origin and history of methane seepage along this tectonically inactive passive margin. Here we present the first isotopic analyses of authigenic carbonates and methanotrophic deep-sea mussels, Bathymodiolus sp., and the first direct constraints on the timing of past methane emission, based on samples collected at the upper slope Baltimore Canyon (∼385 m water depth) and deepwater Norfolk (∼1600 m) seep fields within the area of newly-discovered venting.The authigenic carbonates at both sites were dominated by aragonite, with an average δ 13 C signature of −47h, a value consistent with microbially driven anaerobic oxidation of methane-rich fluids occurring at or near the sediment-water interface. Authigenic carbonate U and Sr isotope data further support the inference of carbonate precipitation from seawater-derived fluids rather than from formation fluids from deep aquifers. Carbonate stable and radiocarbon (δ 13 C and 13 C) isotope values from living Bathymodiolus sp. specimens are lighter than those of seawater dissolved inorganic carbon, highlighting the influence of fossil carbon from methane on carbonate precipitation. U-Th dates on authigenic carbonates suggest seepage at Baltimore Canyon between 14.7 ± 0.6 ka to 15.7 ± 1.6 ka, and at the Norfolk seep field between 1.0 ± 0.7 ka to 3.3 ± 1.3 ka, providing constraint on the longevity of methane efflux at these sites. The age of the brecciated authigenic carbonates and the occurrence of pockmarks at the Baltimore Canyon upper slope could suggest a link between sediment delivery during Pleistocene sea-level lowstand, accumulation of pore fluid overpressure from sediment compaction, and release of overpressure through subsequent venting. Calculations show that the Baltimore Canyon site probably has not been within the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ) in the past 20 ka, meaning that in-situ release of methane from dissociating gas hydrate cannot be sustaining the seep. We cannot rule out updip migration of methane from dissociation of gas hydrate that occurs farther down the slope as a source of the venting at Baltimore Canyon, but consider that the history of rapid sediment accumulation and overpressure may play a more important role in methane emissions at this site. Published by Elsevier B.V.

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Section: Formation Model and Paleoenvironmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights into methane dynamics from analysis of authigenic carbonates and chemosynthetic mussels at newly-discovered Atlantic Margin seeps

Prouty

Sahy

Ruppel

et al. 2016

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

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“…These arguments include 1) the higher amount of sediment delivered to the margins by glaciers, by catastrophic draining of glacial lakes, and by increased erosion due to past wetter conditions, 2) the higher amount of sediment, expected to reach the slope during low sea level, 3) the expected increase in pore pressure of slope sediments because of the rapid accumulation of sediments (Dugan and Flemings, 2000;Kvalstad et al, 2005;Flemings et al, 2008), and 4) the possible increase in the rate of seismicity due to unloading of the lithosphere by the melting ice sheets (Lee, 2009) and/or rapid sea level rise (Brothers et al, 2013c).…”

Section: Empirical Argumentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of tsunami hazard to the U.S. Atlantic margin

et al. 2014

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Keywords: submarine landslides meteo-tsunami earthquakes and landslides probabilistic hazard assessment Tsunami hazard is a very low-probability, but potentially high-risk natural hazard, posing unique challenges to scientists and policy makers trying to mitigate its impacts. These challenges are illustrated in this assessment of tsunami hazard to the U.S. Atlantic margin. Seismic activity along the U.S. Atlantic margin in general is low, and confirmed paleo-tsunami deposits have not yet been found, suggesting a very low rate of hazard. However, the devastating 1929 Grand Banks tsunami along the Atlantic margin of Canada shows that these events continue to occur. Densely populated areas, extensive industrial and port facilities, and the presence of ten nuclear power plants along the coast, make this region highly vulnerable to flooding by tsunamis and therefore even lowprobability events need to be evaluated. We can presently draw several tentative conclusions regarding tsunami hazard to the U.S. Atlantic coast. Landslide tsunamis likely constitute the biggest tsunami hazard to the coast. Only a small number of landslides have so far been dated and they are generally older than 10,000 years. The geographical distribution of landslides along the margin is expected to be uneven and to depend on the distribution of seismic activity along the margin and on the geographical distribution of Pleistocene sediment. We do not see evidence that gas hydrate dissociation contributes to the generation of landslides along the U.S. Atlantic margin. Analysis of landslide statistics along the fluvial and glacial portions of the margin indicate that most of the landslides are translational, were probably initiated by seismic acceleration, and failed as aggregate slope failures. How tsunamis are generated from aggregate landslides remains however, unclear. Estimates of the recurrence interval of earthquakes along the continental slope may provide maximum estimates for the recurrence interval of landslide along the margin. Tsunamis caused by atmospheric disturbances and by coastal earthquakes may be more frequent than those generated by landslides, but their amplitudes are probably smaller. Among the possible far-field earthquake sources, only earthquakes located within the Gulf of Cadiz or west of the Tore-Madeira Rise are likely to affect the U.S. coast. It is questionable whether earthquakes on the Puerto Rico Trench are capable of producing a large enough tsunami that will affect the U.S. Atlantic coast. More information is needed to evaluate the seismic potential of the northern Cuba fold-and-thrust belt. The hazard from a volcano flank collapse in the Canary Islands is likely smaller than originally stated, and there is not enough information to evaluate the magnitude and frequency of flank collapse from the Azores Islands. Both deterministic and probabilistic methods to evaluate the tsunami hazard from the margin are available for application to the Atlantic margin, but their implementation requires more information than is c...

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“…This has been suggested as a trigger for the Holocene Storegga Slide and tsunami (e.g., Smith et al 2013). The timing of MTD 1 coincides with a concentration of passive margin deposits aged between 8 and 15 kyr (Brothers et al 2013). Following Fig.…”

Section: Sea Level Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During glaciations and associated relative sea-level lowstands, sediment delivery to slopes is expected to be higher, thus possibly causing unstable slopes (Brothers et al 2013). IODP drill site C0018 is separated from the shore, shelf, and upper slope areas by the morphologic high of the megasplay fault and only receives remobilized sediments from slopes that are susceptible to fail at water depths of 2000-2500 m (Figs.…”

Section: Sedimentation Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Matching tephras are highlighted by the same color. Error bars represent one standard deviation Brothers et al (2013), the eustatic sea level rise during this phase had the potential to cause bending stresses that could lead to enhanced seismicity, thereby establishing a direct relationship between sea level rise and slope failure on passive margins. However, Urlaub et al (2013) instead showed that the ages of landslides on passive margins can be described by a temporally random Poisson distribution and therefore do not show a positive correlation between the frequency of major slope failures on passive margins and sea level during the past 180,000 years.…”

Section: Sea Level Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Possible climate preconditioning on submarine landslides along a convergent margin, Nankai Trough (NE Pacific)

Kremer

Usman

Satoguchi

et al. 2017

Prog Earth Planet Sci

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Submarine landslides are major agents of sediment mass transfer from the shallow to deep sea. Due to their rapid emplacement and tsunamigenic potential, such landslides are significant geohazards for society and offand on-shore infrastructure. The relationship between climate change and the occurrence of submarine landslides is widely debated. However, there is a lack of continuous long-term submarine landslide records with which to comprehensively understand the relationship between climate-driven forces and submarine landslide occurrence. Here, using oxygen isotope stratigraphy in combination with tephrochronology, we date a 1 Myr continuous record of six landslide deposits (at 13.0-14.2, 323-339, 372-384, 394-413, 508-521, and 857-867 ka) recorded in a slope basin of the Nankai Trough subduction zone, off-shore Japan, which represents the major outcome of this study. The ages of the six landslides coincide mostly with interglacial periods. Thus, we propose that climate forcing might act as a preconditioning factor for slope instability in this active tectonic region.

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Sea-level–induced seismicity and submarine landslide occurrence

Cited by 75 publications

References 23 publications

Insights into methane dynamics from analysis of authigenic carbonates and chemosynthetic mussels at newly-discovered Atlantic Margin seeps

Insights into methane dynamics from analysis of authigenic carbonates and chemosynthetic mussels at newly-discovered Atlantic Margin seeps

Assessment of tsunami hazard to the U.S. Atlantic margin

Possible climate preconditioning on submarine landslides along a convergent margin, Nankai Trough (NE Pacific)

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