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1.
The seafloor morphology and the subsurface of the continental slope of the Olbia intraslope basin located along the eastern, passive Sardinian margin (Tyrrhenian Sea) has been mapped through the interpretation of high-resolution multibeam bathymetric data, coupled with air-gun and sparker seismic profiles. Two areas, corresponding to different physiographic domains, have been recognized along the Olbia continental slope. The upper slope domain, extending from 500 to 850 m water depth, exhibits a series of conical depressions, interpreted as pockmarks that are particularly frequent in seafloor sectors coincident with buried slope channels. In one case, they are aligned along a linear gully most likely reflecting the course of one of the abandoned channels. The location of the pockmarks thus highlights the importance of the distribution of lithologies within different sedimentary bodies in the subsurface in controlling fluid migration plumbing systems. A linear train of pockmarks is, however, present also away from the buried channels being related to a basement step, linked to a blind fault. Two bathymetric highs, interpreted as possible carbonate mounds, are found in connection with some of the pockmark fields. Although the genetic linkage of the carbonate mounds with seafloor fluid venting cannot be definitively substantiated by the lack of in situ measurements, the possibility of a close relationship is here proposed. The lower slope domain, from 850 m down to the base of the slope at 1,200 m water depth is characterized by a sudden gradient increase (from 2° to 6°) that is driven by the presence of the basin master fault that separates the continental slope from the basin plain. Here, a series of km-wide headwall scars due to mass wasting processes are evident. The landslides are characterized by rotated, relatively undeformed seismic strata, which sometimes evolve upslope into shallow-seated (less than 10 m), smaller scale failures and into headless chutes. Slope gradient may act as a major controlling factor on the seafloor instability along the Olbia continental slope; however, the association of landslides with pockmarks has been recognized in several continental slopes worldwide, thus the role of over-pressured fluids in triggering sediment failure in the Olbia slope can not be discarded. In the absence of direct ground truthing, the geological processes linked to subsurface structures and their seafloor expressions have been inferred through the comparison with similar settings where the interpretation of seafloor features from multibeam data has been substantiated with seafloor sampling and geochemical data.  相似文献   

2.
In the Nile deep-sea turbidite system (NDSTS), the province fed by the Rosetta branch of the Nile delta is characterised by the recurrent activity of gravity processes. Seven mass-transport deposits (MTDs) were recognised from the upper to the mid slope, downstream from imbricated scars (~ 30 km-long, ~ 200 m high) running along the shelf edge nearby the Rosetta canyon. Extending on surfaces between 200 and 5000 km2, with estimated volumes from 3 to 500 km3, these MTDs represent about 40% (up to 90% locally) of the total Pleistocene–Holocene sedimentary thickness. Three types of MTDs can be distinguished on the basis of their scale. Each has also a distinctive internal configuration and distribution within the Rosetta depositional setting. Age estimates of two MTDs point towards relationships between climate and submarine mass failures through sea-level changes, sediment supply, or a combination of both. Additionally, the presence of gas in the sediment and earthquake shaking may have concurred to trigger large-scale failures on the low slope angles (1°–2°) of the Rosetta area.  相似文献   

3.
Multibeam bathymetric surveys and single-beam profiles were collected in 2003–2010 from aboard the Ukrainian RV Professor Vodyanitskiy (cruises PV-58 and PV-60, 2003 and 2004), and the German RV Meteor (cruise M-72, legs 1 and 4, 2007) and RV Maria S. Merian (cruise MSM-15, leg 2, 2010) along the continental margin of the NW Black Sea. Integrating published, reprocessed and novel data has revealed the existence of a major continuous channel extending from the Dnepr paleo-delta into greater water depths. It is more than 90 km long, 1.1 km wide and up to 125 m deep. On the upper slope (120–960 m water depth), a number of smaller channels merge into the large, Y-shaped Dnepr Canyon, which then continues obliquely downslope via this submarine channel to at least 1,815 m water depth off the Crimean continental margin, NW Black Sea. The channel could be an important, hitherto unknown link between the shallow oxic and deep anoxic environments of the Black Sea, along which sediment and organic matter could be funneled into the deep-sea basin. This would have far-reaching implications for investigations dealing with marine geology and biology, climate change, as well as oil and natural gas exploitation. The unusual alignment of the channel along the margin of the basin, as well as the location and mode of channel termination in deeper waters deserve future research.  相似文献   

4.
The Krishna–Godavari (KG) offshore basin is one of the promising petroliferous basins of the eastern continental margin of India. Drilling in this basin proved the presence of gas hydrate deposits in the shallow marine sediments beyond 750 m water depths, and provided lithologic and stratigraphic information. We obtained multibeam swath bathymetry covering an area of about 4500 km2 in water depths of 280–1800 m and about 1260 line km of high resolution seismic (HRS) records. The general lithology of midslope deposits is comprised of nannofossil-rich clay, nannofossil-bearing clay and foraminifera-bearing clay. The HRS records and bathymetry reveal evidence of slumping and sliding of the upper and midslope sediments, which result in mass transport deposits (MTD) in the northwestern part of the study area. These deposits exhibit 3–9.5 km widths and extend 10–13 km offshore. The boundaries of the MTDs are often demarcated by sharp truncation of finely layered sediments (FLS) and the MTDs are characterized by acoustically transparent zones in the HRS data. Average thickness of recent MTDs varies with depth, i.e., in the upper slope, the thickness is about 45 m, while in the lower slope it is about 60 m, and in deeper offshore locations they attain a maximum thickness of about 90 m. A direct indication for slumping and mass transportation of deposits is provided by the age reversal in 14C AMS dates observed in a sediment core located in the midslope region. Seismic profiling signatures provide indications of fluid/gas movement. We propose that the presence of steep topographic gradients, high sedimentation rates, a regional fault system, diapirism, fluid/gas movement, and neotectonic activity may have facilitated the slumping/sliding of the upper slope sediments in the KG offshore basin.  相似文献   

5.
《Marine and Petroleum Geology》2012,29(10):1806-1816
The Krishna–Godavari (KG) offshore basin is one of the promising petroliferous basins of the eastern continental margin of India. Drilling in this basin proved the presence of gas hydrate deposits in the shallow marine sediments beyond 750 m water depths, and provided lithologic and stratigraphic information. We obtained multibeam swath bathymetry covering an area of about 4500 km2 in water depths of 280–1800 m and about 1260 line km of high resolution seismic (HRS) records. The general lithology of midslope deposits is comprised of nannofossil-rich clay, nannofossil-bearing clay and foraminifera-bearing clay. The HRS records and bathymetry reveal evidence of slumping and sliding of the upper and midslope sediments, which result in mass transport deposits (MTD) in the northwestern part of the study area. These deposits exhibit 3–9.5 km widths and extend 10–13 km offshore. The boundaries of the MTDs are often demarcated by sharp truncation of finely layered sediments (FLS) and the MTDs are characterized by acoustically transparent zones in the HRS data. Average thickness of recent MTDs varies with depth, i.e., in the upper slope, the thickness is about 45 m, while in the lower slope it is about 60 m, and in deeper offshore locations they attain a maximum thickness of about 90 m. A direct indication for slumping and mass transportation of deposits is provided by the age reversal in 14C AMS dates observed in a sediment core located in the midslope region. Seismic profiling signatures provide indications of fluid/gas movement. We propose that the presence of steep topographic gradients, high sedimentation rates, a regional fault system, diapirism, fluid/gas movement, and neotectonic activity may have facilitated the slumping/sliding of the upper slope sediments in the KG offshore basin.  相似文献   

6.
The strength of mixing due to turbulence in the Antarctic Slope Front (ASF) region was investigated using CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth profilers) observations and direct measurements of turbulence conducted off Adélie Land, East Antarctica along 140°E from the 12th–14th February, 2005. The strongest horizontal gradient of the ASF was located below 300 m depth near the 1000 m isobath. The turbulent measurements revealed that the energy dissipation rate frequently exceeded 10?8 Wkg?1 on the continental shelf and upper slope regions. Turbulent diffusivities near the shelf break were higher than 10?3 m2s?1. Near the ASF the average turbulent heat flux was 5.7 Wm?2 and 1.1 Wm?2 across the temperature minimum layer to 250 m and from 300 to 600 m, respectively. The distribution of the high dissipation rate was consistently explained by the characteristic curve of the M2 internal wave emanating from the shelf break and continental slope. The water mass observed in the ASF below 300 m in the continental slope comprised Modified Circumpolar Deep Water and low salinity Shelf Water originating from either the upper layer of the Adélie Depression or the Adélie Bank, and produced by boundary mixing near the shelf break.  相似文献   

7.
Ranger Slide is a modest (12 km3) slide deposit of Pliocene and younger sediment on the continental slope in northern Sebastian Vizcaino Bay, Mexico. A limited survey using a deeply-towed instrument shows that hummocky terrain immediately downslope from the slide scar consists of large blocks of semiconsolidated sediment, some exceeding a kilometer in length and 107 m3 in volume. Most blocks have rotated, fallen apart, and/or deformed during movement. The form, structure, and processes related to emplacement of the blocks within the hummocky topographic zone of Ranger Slide may be common to many submarine slides on slopes involving semiconsolidated, terrigenous sediment.  相似文献   

8.
The Ulleung Basin, East (Japan) Sea, is well-known for the occurrence of submarine slope failures along its entire margins and associated mass-transport deposits (MTDs). Previous studies postulated that gas hydrates which broadly exist in the basin could be related with the failure process. In this study, we identified various features of slope failures on the margins, such as landslide scars, slide/slump bodies, glide planes and MTDs, from a regional multi-channel seismic dataset. Seismic indicators of gas hydrates and associated gas/fluid flow, such as the bottom-simulating reflector (BSR), seismic chimneys, pockmarks, and reflection anomalies, were re-compiled. The gas hydrate occurrence zone (GHOZ) within the slope sediments was defined from the BSR distribution. The BSR is more pronounced along the southwestern slope. Its minimal depth is about 100 m below seafloor (mbsf) at about 300 m below sea-level (mbsl). Gas/fluid flow and seepage structures were present on the seismic data as columnar acoustic-blanking zones varying in width and height from tens to hundreds of meters. They were classified into: (a) buried seismic chimneys (BSC), (b) chimneys with a mound (SCM), and (c) chimneys with a depression/pockmark (SCD) on the seafloor. Reflection anomalies, i.e., enhanced reflections below the BSR and hyperbolic reflections which could indicate the presence of gas, together with pockmarks which are not associated with seismic chimneys, and SCDs are predominant in the western-southwestern margin, while the BSR, BSCs and SCMs are widely distributed in the southern and southwestern margins. Calculation of the present-day gas-hydrate stability zone (GHSZ) shows that the base of the GHSZ (BGHSZ) pinches out at water depths ranging between 180 and 260 mbsl. The occurrence of the uppermost landslide scars which is below about 190 mbsl is close to the range of the GHSZ pinch-out. The depths of the BSR are typically greater than the depths of the BGHSZ on the basin margins which may imply that the GHOZ is not stable. Close correlation between the spatial distribution of landslides, seismic features of free gas, gas/fluid flow and expulsion and the GHSZ may suggest that excess pore-pressure caused by gas hydrate dissociation could have had a role in slope failures.  相似文献   

9.
The continental margin of Western Australia is a rifted or “Atlantic”-type margin, with a complex physiography. The margin comprises a shelf, an upper and lower continental slope, marginal plateaus, a continental rise, and rise or lower slope foothills. Notches or terraces on the shelf reflect pre-Holocene deposition of prograded sediment, whose seaward limit was determined by variations in relative sea level, wave energy, and sediment size and volume. The upper continental slope has four physiographic forms: convex, due to sediment outbuilding (progradation) over a subsiding marginal plateau; scarped, due to erosion of convex slopes; stepped, due to deposition at the base of a scarped slope; and smooth, due to progradation of an upper slope in the absence of a marginal plateau. Lying at the same level as the upper/lower slope boundary are two extensive marginal plateaus: Exmouth and Scott. They represent continental crust which subsided after continental rupture by sea-floor spreading. Differential subsidence, probably along faults, gave rise to the various physiographic features of the plateaus. The deep lower continental slope is broken into straight northeasterly-trending segments, that parallel the Upper Jurassic/Lower Cretaceous rift axis, and northwesterly-trending segments that parallel the transform direction. The trends of the slope foothills are subparallel to the rift direction. The four abyssal plains of the region (Perth, Cuvier, Gascoyne and Argo) indicate a long history of subsidence and sedimentation on Upper Jurassic/Lower Cretaceous oceanic crust.  相似文献   

10.
In order to assess the controlling factors on the evolution of a shelf margin and the timing of sediment transfer to deep waters, a seismic stratigraphic investigation was carried out in the Eocene interval of northern Santos Basin, offshore Brazil. The studied succession configures a complex of prograding slope clinoforms formed in a passive margin and encompasses five seismic facies and their respective depositional settings: shelf-margin deltas/shorefaces, oblique slope clinoforms, sigmoidal slope clinoforms, continental to shelfal deposits and mass-transport deposits. These are stratigraphically arranged as seven depositional sequences recording a total shelf-edge progradation of about 35 km and a progradation rate of 1,75 km/My. Two main types of sequences can be recognized, the first one (type A) being dominated by oblique slope clinoforms and shelf-margin deltas/shorefaces in which shelf-edge trajectories were essentially flat to descending and extensive sandy turbidites were deposited on the foreset to bottomset zones. Sequences of this type are dominated by forced-regressive units deposited during extensive periods of relative sea-level fall. Type B comprises an upper part represented by aggradational shelfal deposits and a lower part composed of mass-transport deposits and high-relief sigmoidal clinoforms with descending shelf-edge trajectory. Steep slump scars deeply cut the shelfal strata and constitutes the boundary between the two intervals observed in type B sequences. Sandy turbidites occur at the same frequency in both forced- and normal-regressive units but are more voluminous within forced-regressive clinoforms associated with shelf-margin deltas/shorefaces. Major slope failures and mass-transport deposits, by the other hand, occurred exclusively in type B sequences during the onset of sea-level fall and their volume are directly related to the thickness of the shelfal sediments formed during the pre-failure normal regressions.  相似文献   

11.
Very large subaqueous sand dunes were discovered on the upper continental slope of the northern South China Sea. The dunes were observed along a single 40 km long transect southeast of 21.93°N, 117.53°E on the upper continental slope in water depths of 160 m to 600 m. The sand dunes are composed of fine to medium sand, with amplitudes exceeding 16 m and crest-to-crest wavelengths exceeding 350 m. The dunes' apparent formation mechanism is the world's largest observed internal solitary waves which generate from tidal forcing on the Luzon Ridge on the east side of the South China Sea, propagate west across the deep basin with amplitudes regularly exceeding 100 m, and dissipate extremely large amounts of energy via turbulent interaction with the continental slope, suspending and redistributing the bottom sediment. While subaqueous dunes are found in many locations throughout the world's oceans and coastal zones, these particular dunes appear to be unique for two principal reasons: their location on the upper continental slope (away from the influence of shallow-water tidal forcing, deep basin bottom currents and topographically-amplified canyon flows), and their distinctive formation mechanism (approximately 60 episodic, extremely energetic, large amplitude events each lunar cycle).  相似文献   

12.
南海北部相干内潮和非相干内潮演变特征   总被引：2，自引：1，他引：1  
通过南海北部跨越陆坡和陆架区的3套潜标数据,对全日和半日相干、非相干内潮的动能变化特征进行了研究。研究表明,全日内潮沿陆坡区向陆架区传播的过程中,在陆坡区主要以全日相干内潮生成为主,平均动能生成率为2.32 J/（m3·s）;在陆架区以全日相干内潮耗散为主,平均动能耗散率为0.44 J/（m3·s）。全日非相干内潮动能在陆坡和陆架区均增长,平均动能生成率分别为0.39 J/（m3·s）和0.03 J/（m3·s）。全日与半日相干内潮动能在陆坡和陆架区的表现不同,陆坡区的全日相干内潮动能明显大于陆架区的全日相干内潮动能,而半日相干内潮动能在陆坡和陆架区没有明显差别;陆架区的全日和半日非相干内潮动能要大于陆坡区的全日和半日非相干内潮动能。  相似文献   

13.
Within the framework of the multidisciplinary RECS project and with the aim of describing the particle flux transfer from the continental shelf to the deep basin, an array of five mooring lines equipped with a total of five pairs of PPS3/3 sequential-sampling sediment traps and RCM-7/8 current meters were deployed 30 m above the bottom from March 2003 to March 2004 inside and outside the Blanes Canyon. One mooring line was located in the upper canyon at 600 m depth, one in the canyon axis at 1700 m depth and other two close to the canyon walls at 900 m depth. A fifth mooring line was deployed in the continental open slope at 1500 m water depth.The highest near-bottom downward particle flux (14.50 g m−2 d−1) was recorded at the trap located in the upper canyon (M1), where continental inputs associated with the presence of the Tordera River are most relevant. On the other hand, the downward fluxes (4.35 g m−2 d−1) in the canyon axis (M2) were of the same order as those found in the western flank (M3) of the canyon. Both values were clearly higher than the value (1.95 g m−2 d−1) recorded at the eastern canyon wall (M4). The open slope (M5) mass flux (5.42 mg m−2 d−1) recorded by the sediment trap located outside the canyon system was three orders of magnitude lower than the other values registered by the inner canyon stations. The relevance of our data is that it explains how the transport pathway in the canyon occurs through its western flank, where a more active and persistent current toward the open ocean was recorded over the entire year of the experiment.Off-shelf sediment transport along the canyon axis showed clear differences during the period of the study, with some important events leading to strong intensifications of the current coupled with large transport of particle fluxes to the deepest parts of the canyon. Such events are primarily related to increases in river discharge and the occurrence of strong storms and cascading events during the winter.In summary, in this study it is shown that the dynamics of the water masses and the currents in the study area convert the sharp western flank of the Blanes Canyon in a more active region that favors erosion processes than the eastern flank, which has a smoother topography and where the absence of erosional conditions yields to steadier sedimentary processes.  相似文献   

14.
The continental shelf and the upper slope of the Gulf of Palermo (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea) in the depth interval ranging from 50 to 1,500 m were mapped for the first time with Multi Beam echosounder and high resolution seismic. Seven submarine canyons are confined to the upper slope or indent the shelf-edge and enter the Palermo intraslope basin at a depth of around 1,300 m. The canyons evolved through concurrent top-down turbiditic processes and bottom-up retrogressive mass failures. Most of the mass failure features of the area are related to canyon-shaping processes and only few of them are not confined to the upper slope. In general, these features probably do not represent a significant tsunami hazard along the coast. The geological element that controls the evolution of the canyons and induces sediment instability corresponds to the steep slope gradient, especially in the western sector of the Gulf, where the steepest canyons are located. The structural features mapped in the Palermo offshore contributed to the regulation of mass failure processes in the area, with direct faults and antiform structures coinciding with some of the canyon heads. Furthermore, the occurrence of pockmarks and highs that probably consist of authigenic carbonates above faulted and folded strata suggests a local relationship between structural control, fluid escape processes and mass failure. This paper presents a valuable high-resolution morphologic dataset of the Gulf of Palermo, which constitutes a reliable base for evaluating the geo-hazard potential related to slope failure in the area.  相似文献   

15.
The understanding of the morphology and the shallow geo-hazards of the seafloor is a major focus for both academic and private industry research. On November and December 2009 a geophysical pipeline survey was carried out by Fugro Oceansismica S.p.A. (FOSPA) and FUGRO France (FFSA) for DORIS Engineering on behalf of GRTgaz (Engineering centre, Transmission Pipe Department; www.grtgaz.com) which are currently investigating the possibility of laying a pipeline between Sardinia and Corsica as a spur line from the planned GALSI Project. The Project, ??Alimentation de la Corse en gaz naturel??, consists of a corridor 100 km long and 1.0 km wide along the Corsica-Sardinia shelf. The integration of the multibeam, sidescan sonar and sparker data provided a high resolution seafloor mapping for geo-hazard assessment. In this article the data acquired along a break of slope section (approximately 20 km × 1.5 km), in the eastern sector of the Strait of Bonifacio are described. The area was abandoned during the survey, because of its unsuitability. Indeed, in this area the continental shelf, approximately 100 m deep and deepening gently eastward, is characterized by an uneven morphology, with different seabed features such as Beach-rocks mainly NNW-SSE oriented. Also, the continuity of the continental margin, identified around ?110/?115 m, is interrupted by four canyon heads which incise the slope and are associated with glide deposits.  相似文献   

16.
The evolution of energy, energy flux and modal structure of the internal tides(ITs) in the northeastern South China Sea is examined using the measurements at two moorings along a cross-slope section from the deep continental slope to the shallow continental shelf. The energy of both diurnal and semidiurnal ITs clearly shows a～14-day spring-neap cycle, but their phases lag that of barotropic tides, indicating that ITs are not generated on the continental slope. Observations of internal tidal energy flux suggest that they may be generated at the Luzon Strait and propagate west-northwest to the continental slope in the northwestern SCS. Because the continental slope is critical-supercritical with respect to diurnal ITs, about 4.6 kJ/m~2 of the incident energy and 8.7 kW/m of energy flux of diurnal ITs are reduced from the continental slope to the continental shelf. In contrast, the semidiurnal internal tides enter the shelf because of the sub-critical topography with respect to semidiurnal ITs.From the continental slope to the shelf, the vertical structure of diurnal ITs shows significant variation, with dominant Mode 1 on the deep slope and dominant higher modes on the shelf. On the contrary, the vertical structure of the semidiurnal ITs is stable, with dominant Mode 1.  相似文献   

17.
The role of the small-size (SF; 0.1–0.5 mm) and large-size (LF; 0.5–20.0 mm) fractions in the biomass and abundance of mesozooplankton (0.1–20.0 mm) was assessed using the database of samples obtained during the cruises of RV Akvanavt in the northeastern Black Sea in November 2000 and October 2006. The mesozooplankton was collected by means of Juday nets (37/50, filtering gauze 160 μm) and Niskin bottles in two areas: (1) the shelf and continental slope (30–1480 m depth) and (2) the deep sea (depths of more than 1500 m). The plankton net was considerably less effective in collecting the SF of the mesozooplankton (by a factor of 30–36) than the Niskin bottles. When comparing the SF and LF, we estimated the abundance and biomass of the SF in the samples obtained with the Niskin bottles. The abundance of the SF in the deep-sea area was 2.5 times lower compared to the shelf and continental slope, and the LF abundance was 5.0 times lower in the same way. The abundance of the SF constituted 88% of the total mesozooplankton on the shelf and continental slope, and 78% in the deep-sea area. The biomass of the SF was higher as well on the shelf and continental slope. Meroplankton played a significant role in the SF zooplankton abundance (0.5 × 103 + 0.16 ind. m−3) in this area. The SF grazing impact was 10% of the total mesozooplankton grazing on the shelf and continental slope, and 17% in the deepsea area. Appendicularia and nauplii of copepods had the greatest contribution to the mesozooplankton grazing among the SF group.  相似文献   

18.
Between 33°S and 47°S, the southern Chile forearc is affected by the subduction of the aseismic Juan Fernandez Ridge, several major oceanic fracture zones on the subducting Nazca Plate, the active Chile Ridge spreading centre, and the underthrusting Antarctic Plate. The heat flow through the forearc was estimated using the depth of the bottom simulating reflector obtained from a comprehensive database of reflection seismic profiles. On the upper and middle continental slope along the whole forearc, heat flow is about 30–60 mW m–2, a range of values common for the continental basement and overlying slope sediments. The actively deforming accretionary wedge on the lower slope, however, in places shows heat flow reaching about 90 mW m–2. This indicates that advecting pore fluids from deeper in the subduction zone may transport a substantial part of the heat there. The large size of the anomalies suggests that fluid advection and outflow at the seafloor is overall diffuse, rather than being restricted to individual fault structures or mud volcanoes and mud mounds. One large area with very high heat flow is associated with a major tectonic feature. Thus, above the subducting Chile Ridge at 46°S, values of up to 280 mW m–2 indicate that the overriding South American Plate is effectively heated by subjacent zero-age oceanic plate material.  相似文献   

19.
Abstract

The very unique continental margin of North Victoria Land, Antarctica, is characterized by complex bathymetry, reflecting control by glacial, tectonic, and marine processes. The abnormally shallow shelf can be divided into a deep, rugged, glacially dominated inner shelf and a smoother, shallower outer shelf, which is dominated by marine and glacial marine processes. Deep u‐shaped glacial troughs incise the shelf, while relict v‐shaped canyons incise the upper slope. Trending northwest‐southeast along the eastern edge of the area lies a rugged chain of seamounts representing the southern extension of the Balleny Fracture Zone. The continental slope is dominated by strong contour currents and gravity processes.  相似文献   

20.
Triple mass-transport deposits(MTDs) with areas of 625, 494 and 902 km2, respectively, have been identified on the north slope of the Xisha Trough, northern South China Sea margin. Based on high-resolution seismic reflection data and multi-beam bathymetric data, the Quaternary MTDs are characterized by typical geometric shapes and internal structures. Results of slope analysis showed that they are developed in a steep slope ranging from 5° to 35°. The head wall scarps of the MTDs arrived to 50 km in length(from headwall to termination). Their inner structures include well developed basal shear surface, growth faults, stepping lateral scarps, erosion grooves, and frontal thrust deformation. From seismic images, the central deepwater channel system of the Xisha Trough has been filled by interbedded channel-levee deposits and thick MTDs. Therefore, we inferred that the MTDs in the deepwater channel system could be dominated by far-travelled slope failure deposits even though there are local collapses of the trough walls. And then, we drew the two-dimensional process model and threedimensional structure model diagram of the MTDs. Combined with the regional geological setting and previous studies, we discussed the trigger mechanisms of the triple MTDs.  相似文献   

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