Mass movements in small canyons in the northeast of Baiyun deepwater area, north of the South China Sea

Li, Xishuang; Liu, Lejun; Li, Jiagang; Gao, Shan; Zhou, Qing; Su, Tianyun

doi:10.1007/s13131-015-0702-z

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…The common mechanisms to produce axial incision are downslope sediment gravity flows derived from the canyon head or generated by mass wasting along the canyon walls (Parsons et al 2007). Previous studies show that the widening and deepening of the canyons resulted from recurrent axial incision during glacial epochs (Zhu et al 2010;Li et al 2015a;Zhou et al 2015), having similar characteristics to the slope-confined canyons in other continental margins (Baztan et al 2005;Puga-Bernabeu et al 2013). Flat floors of the canyons shown by the bathymetric data indicate the present axial incision is weak.…”

Section: Controls On Morphology Of the Canyonsmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…5). The interfluves between the canyons become narrower down-slope and there are slumps and landslides within them (Li et al 2015a). The length of failure scars varies from hundreds of meters to several kilometers and the failure areas are usually less than 3 km 2 (Li et al 2015a).…”

Section: General Geomorphological Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The interfluves between the canyons become narrower down-slope and there are slumps and landslides within them (Li et al 2015a). The length of failure scars varies from hundreds of meters to several kilometers and the failure areas are usually less than 3 km 2 (Li et al 2015a). Most failure scars are primarily parallel or perpendicular to the canyon axis (see Cross-canyon bathymetric profiles reveal that each of the canyons in the study area exhibits a narrower and steeper east flank than the west one (see Fig.…”

Section: General Geomorphological Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More geotechnical studies need to be done to confirm this assumption. Regardless of how the undulations were formed, they can decrease slope stability and lead to more mass wasting in the canyon walls and the heads throughout the evolution of the canyons, at both fill stages and erosion stages (Li et al 2015a). …”

Section: Submerged/buried Reefs Undulations Of Sediment and Canyon mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regularly-spaced canyons (Zhu et al 2010;Li et al 2015a;Zhou et al 2015) develop in the Baiyun deep-water area on the northern continental margin of the South China Sea (SCS) (see Fig. 1c).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Slope-confined submarine canyons in the Baiyun deep-water area, northern South China Sea: variation in their modern morphology

Zhou

et al. 2016

Mar Geophys Res

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On the basis of newly collected multibeam bathymetric data, chirp profiles and existing seismic data, we presented a detailed morphological interpretation of a series of slope-confined canyons in water depths of 300-2000 m in the Baiyun deep-water area, northern margin of the South China Sea. Although these canyons are commonly characterized by regular spacing and a straightline shape, they vary in their lengths, starting and ending water depths, canyon relief, slope gradients, wall slope gradients and depth profiles along the axis. The eastern canyons (C1-C8) have complex surface features, low values in their slope gradient, canyon relief and wall slope gradient and high values in their length and starting and ending depth contrasting to the western ones (C9-C17). From the bathymetric data and chirp profiles, we interpret two main processes that have controlled the morphology and evolution of the canyons: axial incision and landsliding. The western part of the shelf margin where there were at least four stages of submerged reefs differs from the eastern part of the shelf margin where sedimentary undulations occurred at a water depth of *650 m. We consider that the variation in morphology of submarine canyons in the study area is the result of multiple causes, with the leading cause being the difference in stability of the upper slope which is related to the submerged reefs and sedimentary undulations.

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