Sea-level-induced seismicity and submarine landslide occurrence
Links
- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Open Access Version: External Repository
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
The temporal coincidence between rapid late Pleistocene sea-level rise and large-scale slope failures is widely documented. Nevertheless, the physical mechanisms that link these phenomena are poorly understood, particularly along nonglaciated margins. Here we investigate the causal relationships between rapid sea-level rise, flexural stress loading, and increased seismicity rates along passive margins. We find that Coulomb failure stress across fault systems of passive continental margins may have increased more than 1 MPa during rapid late Pleistocene–early Holocene sea-level rise, an amount sufficient to trigger fault reactivation and rupture. These results suggest that sea-level–modulated seismicity may have contributed to a number of poorly understood but widely observed phenomena, including (1) increased frequency of large-scale submarine landslides during rapid, late Pleistocene sea-level rise; (2) emplacement of coarse-grained mass transport deposits on deep-sea fans during the early stages of marine transgression; and (3) the unroofing and release of methane gas sequestered in continental slope sediments.
Publication type | Article |
---|---|
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Title | Sea-level-induced seismicity and submarine landslide occurrence |
Series title | Geology |
DOI | 10.1130/G34410.1 |
Volume | 41 |
Issue | 9 |
Year Published | 2013 |
Language | English |
Publisher | Geological Society of America |
Contributing office(s) | Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center |
Description | 4 p. |
First page | 979 |
Last page | 982 |
Online Only (Y/N) | N |
Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |