Characteristics and genetic analysis of submarine landslides in the northern slope of the South China Sea

Zhou, Qing; Li, Xishuang; Zhou, Hang; Liu, Lejun; Xu, Yaoyang; Gao, Shan; Ma, Lingling

doi:10.1007/s11001-018-9369-0

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The earthquake is widely accepted as a triggering factor of a landslide (Brothers, Luttrell, & Chaytor, 2014; Moscardelli & Wood, 2008). With the same slope gradient, landslide materials, and other conditions, the possibility of landslide increase when the earthquake load (Zhou et al, 2018). As mentioned above, there are many earthquakes in the study area, especially in the active accretionary wedge province, because of the complex geological settings (Figure 1).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution and genesis of submarine landslides in the northeastern South China Sea

et al. 2020

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Submarine landslide is a widespread marine geohazard and an important part of the global ‘source to sink’ system. In this article, multi‐channel seismic and topographic data are utilized to investigate the distribution, calculate the geomorphologic parameters, and discuss the genesis of the submarine landslides in the northeastern South China Sea. In the study area, which can be divided into two tectonic provinces: passive continental margin province and accretionary wedge province, 101 landslides are identified, with a total size of 2,358.22 km2. Statistics show that most landslides are of small sizes (<15 km2) and developed along small slope gradient regions. There is a high correlation between the slope gradient and the ratio of headscarp height to runout distance. The size and runout distance of landslide also correlate well. However, there is a low correlation coefficient including slope gradient versus runout distance and slope gradient versus size. The distribution of submarine landslides is consistent with that of bottom simulating reflections (BSRs) and seabed activities, which may imply a possible inner correlation among them. The calculated base of gas hydrate stability zone (BGHSZ) pinches out the seafloor at about 555–556 m below the sea level, where most of the landslide headscarps are located. And the BGHSZ depths are often shallower than the BSRs bottom depths in the upper slope area. Combined with previous studies, we consider that the influence factors of submarine landslides in the study area are earthquakes, canyons, seabed fluid activities, and gas hydrate dissociation. Gas hydrate dissociation is a global influence factor in the study area. In the passive continental margin province, the submarine landslides are mainly canyon‐associated landslides. While in the accretionary wedge province, they are mainly controlled by seabed fluid activities and earthquakes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution and genesis of submarine landslides in the northeastern South China Sea

et al. 2020

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“…On the northern slope of the South China Sea, the water depth varies considerably, the sedimentation rate is high 35 , 36 . The turbidity currents and mass transport are strong in this area 37 , 38 . The porosity of the sediments varies over a wide range.…”

Section: Study Area Overview and Data Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 96%

Inversion of the physical properties of seafloor surface sediments based on AUV sub-bottom profile data in the northern slope of the South China Sea

Zhou

Huang³

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Based on the seafloor reflection coefficient obtained from autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) sub-bottom profile survey data of the northern slope of the South China Sea, combined with the sample test data of seafloor surface sediments, we use the Biot–Stoll model to establish the equations relating the seafloor reflection coefficient to the porosity, density, and mean grain size of the sediments at the dominant frequency of 5 kHz (the dominant frequency of the AUV sub-bottom profiler). The physical property parameters such as the porosity, density, and mean grain size of seafloor surface sediments are further inverted. Comparison of inversion results with measured results shows that the overall deviation ratios of the inverted mean grain size, porosity, and density of the surface sediments are in the ranges of − 13.56 to 14.44%, − 6.15 to 8.06%, and − 10.85 to 0.46%, respectively. Among them, the mean grain size directly reflects the size of seafloor sediment particles, and the particles are finer in deeper water. Overall, the inversion results are basically consistent with the measured values and thus can well reflect the variation characteristics of the physical properties of seafloor surface sediments.

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“…In our study area, detailed bathymetric data and side-sonar images show that landslides predominantly occurred in water depths shallower than 1000 m, where the slopes are steeper compared with other regions. The causes of landslides within the canyon system have been extensively investigated [26,28,57], and geotechnical numerical simulations suggest that sediment overload is the primary triggering factor [28].…”

Section: Landslidesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A specific canyon system is situated on the northern slope outside the modern Pearl River mouth, comprising 17 small slope-confined canyons [25] (Figure 1a). Previous research has primarily focused on the morphology [25], landslides [26][27][28], and evolution of these canons [22,[29][30][31] using shipborne geophysical data. However, our understanding of the sedimentary processes along the modern canyon axes and the factors influencing thalweg migration remains limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Erosional and Depositional Features along the Axis of a Canyon in the Northern South China Sea and Their Implications: Insights from High-Resolution AUV-Based Geophysical Data

Li,

Liu,

Huang

et al. 2024

JMSE

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Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV)-based multibeam bathymetry, sub-bottom profiles, and side-scan sonar images were collected in 2009 and 2010 to map the geomorphic features along the axial zone of a canyon (referred to as C4) within the canyon system developed on the northern slope of the South China Sea. These data significantly improved the spatial resolution of acoustic data, leading to a better understanding of the sedimentary processes within the modern canyon system. The bathymetric data reveal that sections across the canyon axis exhibit either asymmetrical or symmetrical characteristics, which differ from the overall asymmetrical pattern of the entire canyon. This suggests that the overall asymmetrical pattern of the canyon is not primarily due to axial incision. Various morphological elements were identified along the canyon axis, including failure scars, undulating features, knickpoints, flat terraces, furrows, and mass transport deposits (MTDs). Landslides, predominantly located in the upper canyon, were formed after at least 5000 years BP. Between the beginning of the canyon and a water depth of approximately 1300 m, there are alternating flat terraces and knickpoints. The large knickpoints’ low slope gradients are likely formed by the presence of undulating features. The internal configurations of undulating features suggest that they are depositional structures rather than sediment deformation. The formation of small-scale furrows below a depth of 1200 m may be associated with occasional gravity flows down the canyon. It is suggested that the canyon was generally inactive during the Holocene but experienced sporadic processes of sediment erosion, transport, and re-deposition in the axial zone that were triggered by landslide events occasionally in the upper canyon.

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Characteristics and genetic analysis of submarine landslides in the northern slope of the South China Sea

Cited by 13 publications

References 16 publications

Distribution and genesis of submarine landslides in the northeastern South China Sea

Distribution and genesis of submarine landslides in the northeastern South China Sea

Inversion of the physical properties of seafloor surface sediments based on AUV sub-bottom profile data in the northern slope of the South China Sea

Erosional and Depositional Features along the Axis of a Canyon in the Northern South China Sea and Their Implications: Insights from High-Resolution AUV-Based Geophysical Data

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