A 500 kyr record of global sea level oscillations in the Gulf of Lion, Mediterranean Sea: new  insights into MIS 3 sea level variability

Frigola, Jaime; Canals, Miquel; Cacho, Isabel; Moreno, Ana; Sierro, Francisco J.; Flores, José Abel; Berné, Serge; Jouet, Gwénaël; Dennielou, Bernard; Herrera, Gemma; Pasqual, Catalina; Grimalt, Joan O; Galavazi, M.; Schneider, Robert

doi:10.5194/cpd-7-4401-2011

Cited by 11 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 53 publications

(22 reference statements)

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“…The Rhone River is the modern major source of sediment to the GoL shelf while other minor fluvial inputs also occur along the coastline (Pont et al, 2002). However, the buildup of the margin was strongly controlled by Quaternary glacial-interglacial sea-level variations (Rabineau et al, 2006;Frigola et al, 2012) and by significant subsidence at the shelf edge that has led to the deposition and preservation of sedimentary bodies and to the incision of numerous canyons mainly oriented NW to SE and N to S (Berné et al, 2001;Baztan et al, 2005). The study area lies between two major canyons, the Bourcart Canyon and the Hérault Canyon (Fig.…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repeated fluid expulsions during events of rapid sea-level rise in the Gulf of Lion, western Mediterranean Sea

Gay

Cavailhès

Grauls

et al. 2017

Bull. Soc. géol. Fr.

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Based on a High-Resolution 3D seismic block acquired in the Gulf of Lion in 2004–2005 we investigated fluid pipes and pockmarks on the top of the interfluve between the Hérault canyon and the Bourcart canyon both created by turbidity currents and gravity flows from the shelf to the deep basin in the north-western Mediterranean Sea. Combining the geometry of the potential fluid pipes with the induced deformation of surrounding sediments leads then to the ability to differentiate between potential fluid sources (root vs source) and to better estimate the triggering mechanisms (allochtonous vs. autochtonous cause). We linked together a set of derived attributes, such as Chaos and RMS amplitude, to a 3D description of pipes along which fluids may migrate. As previously shown in other basins, the induced deformation, creating cone in cone or V-shaped structures, may develop in response to the fluid pipe propagation in unconsolidated sediments in the near surface. The level at the top of a cone structure is diachronous. It means that stratigraphic levels over this surface are deformed at the end of the migration. They collapse forming a depression called a pockmark. These pipes are the result of repeated cycles of fluid expulsion that might be correlated with rapid sea-level rise instead of sediment loading. The most recent event (MIS 2.2 stage) has led to the formation of a pockmark on the modern seafloor. It has been used as a reference for calculating the effect of a rapid sea-level rise on fluid expulsion. As all physical and geometrical parameters are constrained, we were able to define that a + 34 m of sea level rise may account for triggering fluid expulsion from a very shallow silty-sandy layer at 9 m below seafloor since the last glacial stage. This value is consistent with a sea level rise of about 102 m during this period. This study shows that the episodic nature of fluid release resulted from hydromechanical processes during sea-level rise due to the interactivity between high pressure regimes and principal in situ stresses.

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Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repeated fluid expulsions during events of rapid sea-level rise in the Gulf of Lion, western Mediterranean Sea

Gay

Cavailhès

Grauls

et al. 2017

Bull. Soc. géol. Fr.

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“…The Bourcart/Hérault (B/H) canyon interfluve (Figure ), in the Gulf of Lions (Western Mediterranean), provides one of the most complete data sets available with which to tackle pockmark formation, with the added advantage of a well‐constrained chronology [ Sierro et al ., ; Frigola et al ., ]. The Gulf of Lions is an outstanding zone to understand the impact of sea level on gas seeps because this passive continental margin dominated by subsidence and sediment supply fluctuations derived from glacio‐eustatic control is a virtually aseismic zone [ Nocquet , ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These layers are characterized by coarse‐grained planktonic foraminifera and other sand‐size particles. It is represented by a thin veneer of biogenic, fine to medium sand forming a condensed deposit, which extends from the inner shelf to the upper slope [ Bassetti et al ., ; Sierro et al ., ; Frigola et al ., ]. The PROMESS PRGL1 borehole provides a precise chrono‐stratigraphic framework correlated with seismic data [ Jouet , ; Frigola et al ., ] and encompassing the last five stratigraphic sequences of the Late Quaternary.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is represented by a thin veneer of biogenic, fine to medium sand forming a condensed deposit, which extends from the inner shelf to the upper slope [ Bassetti et al ., ; Sierro et al ., ; Frigola et al ., ]. The PROMESS PRGL1 borehole provides a precise chrono‐stratigraphic framework correlated with seismic data [ Jouet , ; Frigola et al ., ] and encompassing the last five stratigraphic sequences of the Late Quaternary. Depositional sequences S4 and S5 (upper part of borehole PRGL1) recording the last two 100 kyr climatic cycles are bounded by D50, D60, and D70 that represent Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 7, 5, and 1, respectively (Figure ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…P1 to P6 = pockmark numbers (as in Figure b). (b) Relationship between relative sea level [ Waelbroeck et al ., ] and multi‐proxy analysis of PRGL1 [ Sierro et al ., ; Frigola et al ., ]. Dated seismic reflectors D70, D60, and D50 identified in the Gulf of Lions are superimposed on the relative sea level and δ 18 O curves and represent Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 7, 5, and 1.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Control of Quaternary sea‐level changes on gas seeps

Riboulot

Thomas

Berné

et al. 2014

Geophysical Research Letters

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Gas seeping to the seafloor through structures such as pockmarks may contribute significantly to the enrichment of atmospheric greenhouse gases and global warming. Gas seeps in the Gulf of Lions, Western Mediterranean, are cyclical, and pockmark "life" is governed both by sediment accumulation on the continental margin and Quaternary climate changes. Three-dimensional seismic data, correlated to multi-proxy analysis of a deep borehole, have shown that these pockmarks are associated with oblique chimneys. The prograding chimney geometry demonstrates the syn-sedimentary and long-lasting functioning of the gas seeps. Gas chimneys have reworked chronologically constrained stratigraphic units and have functioned episodically, with maximum activity around sea level lowstands. Therefore, we argue that one of the main driving mechanisms responsible for their formation is the variation in hydrostatic pressure driven by relative sea level changes.

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Submarine landslides of the Mediterranean Sea: Trigger mechanisms, dynamics, and frequency-magnitude distribution

Úrgeles

Camerlenghi

2013

J. Geophys. Res. Earth Surf.

168

135

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[1] Submarine landslides are ubiquitous along Mediterranean continental margins. With the aim of understanding mass-wasting processes and related hazard at the scale of a large marine basin encompassing multiple geological settings, we have compiled data on their geometry, age, and trigger mechanism with a geographic information system. The distribution of submarine landslides in the Mediterranean reveals that major deltaic wedges have a higher density of large submarine landslides, while tectonically active margins are characterized by relatively small failures. In all areas, landslide size distributions display power law scaling for landslides > 1 km 3 . We find consistent differences on the exponent of the power law (θ) depending on the tectonic setting. Available age information suggests that failures exceeding 1000 km 3 are infrequent and may recur every~40 kyr. Smaller failures that can still cause significant damage might be relatively frequent (failures > 1 km 3 may recur every 40 years). The database highlights that our knowledge of submarine landslide activity with time is limited to a few tens of thousands of years. Available data suggest that submarine landslides may preferentially occur during lowstand periods, but no firm conclusion can be made on this respect, as only 70 landslides (out of 696 in the database) have relatively accurate age determinations. The temporal pattern and changes in frequency-magnitude distribution suggest that sedimentation patterns and pore pressure development have had a major role in triggering slope failures and control the sediment flux from mass wasting to the deep basin.Citation: Urgeles, R., and A. Camerlenghi (2013), Submarine landslides of the Mediterranean Sea: Trigger mechanisms, dynamics, and frequency-magnitude distribution,

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A 500 kyr record of global sea level oscillations in the Gulf of Lion, Mediterranean Sea: new insights into MIS 3 sea level variability

Cited by 11 publications

References 53 publications

Repeated fluid expulsions during events of rapid sea-level rise in the Gulf of Lion, western Mediterranean Sea

Repeated fluid expulsions during events of rapid sea-level rise in the Gulf of Lion, western Mediterranean Sea

Control of Quaternary sea‐level changes on gas seeps

Submarine landslides of the Mediterranean Sea: Trigger mechanisms, dynamics, and frequency-magnitude distribution

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