Short and long-term movement of mudflows of the Mississippi River Delta Front and their known and potential impacts on oil and gas infrastructure

Geological Society of London Special Publications
By: , and 

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Abstract

Mudflows on the Mississippi River Delta Front (MRDF) are recognized hazards to oil and gas infrastructure in the shallow (20 – 300 m water depth) Gulf of Mexico. Preconditioning of the seafloor for failure results from high sedimentation rates coupled with slope over-steepening, under-consolidation, and abundant biogenic gas production. Catastrophic failure of production platforms and pipelines due to seafloor displacement during infrequent large hurricanes such as Camille in 1969 and Ivan in 2004, point to cyclical loading of the seafloor by waves as a primary movement trigger. Due to data limitations, the role of smaller storms and background oceanographic processes in driving seafloor movement have remained largely unconstrained, but are thought to contribute to significant seafloor change. With the aid of new high-resolution multibeam mapping and seismic reflection profiling across sections of the MRDF, several moving features within the deforming delta-front environment are investigated and potential hazards to infrastructure installed and adjacent to the region are discussed. Via repeat mapping surveys of selected areas and records of changing shipwreck locations, we highlight significant seafloor displacement across annual to decadal timescales. For example, individual blocks mapped within mudflow gullies adjacent to Southwest Pass show downslope transport of more than 80 m in a single year, while the S.S. Virginia, a 153 m-long oil tanker sunk in 1942 has been relocated and found to have moved downslope more than 400 m in 14 years, without a major hurricane (> Category 2) passing through the region.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Short and long-term movement of mudflows of the Mississippi River Delta Front and their known and potential impacts on oil and gas infrastructure
Series title Geological Society of London Special Publications
DOI 10.1144/SP500-2019-183
Year Published 2020
Language English
Publisher Geological Society of London
Contributing office(s) Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Description 18 p.
Country United States
State Louisiana
Other Geospatial Mississippi River Delta Front
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