A Multi-Disciplinary Investigation of the AFEN Slide: the Relationship Between Contourites and Submarine Landslides
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Downloaded from http://sp.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on June 3, 2020 A multi-disciplinary investigation of the AFEN Slide: the relationship between contourites and submarine landslides Ricarda Gatter1*, Michael A. Clare2, James E. Hunt2, Millie Watts2, B. N. Madhusudhan3, Peter J. Talling4 and Katrin Huhn1 1MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Leobener Str. 8, 28359, Germany 2University of Southampton, Engineering, Southampton Boldrewood Innovation Campus, Burgess Road, Southampton SO16 7QF, UK 3National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton Waterfront Campus, Southampton European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, UK 4University of Durham, Departments of Earth Sciences and Geography, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK RG, 0000-0001-6548-4534; BNM, 0000-0002-2570-5934 *Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Contourite drifts are sediment deposits formed by ocean bottom currents on continental slopes worldwide. Although it has become increasingly apparent that contourites are often prone to slope failure, the physical controls on slope instability remain unclear. This study presents high-resolution sedimentological, geochemical and geotechnical analyses of sediments to better understand the physical controls on slope failure that occurred within a sheeted contourite drift within the Faroe–Shetland Channel. We aim to identify and char- acterize the failure plane of the late Quaternary landslide (the AFEN Slide), and explain its location within the sheeted drift stratigraphy. The analyses reveal abrupt lithological contrasts characterized by distinct changes in physical, geochemical and geotechnical properties. Our findings indicate that the AFEN Slide likely initiated along a distinct lithological interface, between overlying sandy contouritic sediments and softer underlying mud-rich sediments. These lithological contrasts are interpreted to relate to climatically controlled variations in sediment input and bottom current intensity. Similar lithological contrasts are likely to be common within contourite drifts at many other oceanic gateways worldwide; hence our findings are likely to apply more widely. As we demonstrate here, recognition of such contrasts requires multi-disciplinary data over the depth range of stratigraphy that is potentially prone to slope failure. Thermohaline-driven ocean bottom currents create thicker and steeper than those on slopes unaffected sedimentary accumulations called contourites that by bottom currents (Laberg and Camerlenghi 2008; are found along the world’s continental margins Rebesco et al. 2014). Factors such as sediment sup- (e.g. McCave and Tucholke 1986; Rebesco and Stow ply, intensity and location of currents, and sea-level 2001; Stow et al. 2002). Contourites can cover and climatic changes control the presence or extremely large areas (from ,100 km2 to .100 000 absence, location, growth and morphology of con- km2), forming a variety of depositional geometries tourites (Faugères and Stow 2008; Rebesco et al. that include elongated, mounded, sheeted, channel- 2014). A number of compound morphological ized and mixed drift systems (Faugères et al. 1999; effects have been implicated as preconditioning Rebesco and Stow 2001; Stow et al. 2002; Faugères and/or triggering mechanisms for slope instability. and Stow 2008). It has become increasingly apparent These include (1) slope over-steepening due to that contourite drifts are prone to slope instability rapid sediment accumulation (A, Fig. 1) or due to (Laberg and Camerlenghi 2008), with submarine erosion by vigorous along-slope currents (B, Fig. 1) landslides recognized in a wide range of locations and (2) loading resulting from differential sediment affected by bottom currents (Table 1). accumulation (C, Fig. 1). These effects occur partic- The affinity of contourite drifts for slope failure ularly where contourites form as mounded accumu- can be linked in part to deposit morphology lations (Laberg and Camerlenghi 2008; Prieto et al. (Fig. 1, Table 1). In some locations, contour-parallel 2016; Miramontes et al. 2018). However, submarine currents modify the continental slope profile, creat- landslides, some of which include the largest on our ing mounded accumulations of sediment that are planet (e.g. Storegga; Bryn et al. 2005a), often occur From: Georgiopoulou, A., Amy, L. A., Benetti, S., Chaytor, J. D., Clare, M. A., Gamboa, D., Haughton, P. D. W., Moernaut, J. and Mountjoy, J. J. (eds) 2020. Subaqueous Mass Movements and their Consequences: Advances in Process Understanding, Monitoring and Hazard Assessments. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 500, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP500-2019-184 © 2020 The Author(s). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Published by The Geological Society of London. Publishing disclaimer: www.geolsoc.org.uk/pub_ethics Table 1. Examples of submarine landslides in contourites Downloaded from Slide name Location Setting Slide volume (km3) Seabed Sediment Drift type Main control References gradient (°) accumulation rate Hinlopen-Yermak Northern Svalbard Northern high- 1200–1350 ,0.5 ? Lithological and Vanneste et al. (2006), Slide margin, Arctic latitudes geotechncial Winkelmann et al. Ocean contrasts (2008) − Fram Slide Offshore northwest Northern high- c. 1470 (17 failures) c. 1.5–4.5 3–19 cm ka 1 Plastered drift Toe erosion, Mattingsdal et al. (2014), Complex Svalbard, Arctic latitudes morphology Elger et al. (2017) Ocean − http://sp.lyellcollection.org/ – Lofoten Islands, Northern high- ,1–8.7 (individual 4–1 Upto4mka 1 Mounded, elongated Under-cutting Laberg et al. (2001), offshore Norway, latitudes landslides) drift (Lofoten Baeten et al. (2013, Norwegian Sea drift) 2014) − Trænadjupet Slide Offshore Norway, Northern high- c. 900 2.3–0.6 Up to 65 m ka 1 Mounded, elongated Weak layer Laberg and Vorren Norwegian Sea latitudes drift (Nyk drift) (2000), Laberg et al. (2001, 2002, 2003) − Nyk Slide Offshore Norway, Northern high- Up to 1.2 m ka 1 Mounded, elongated Weak layer Laberg et al. (2001, Norwegian Sea latitudes drift (Nyk drift) 2002), Lindberg et al. (2004) − R. Gatter Sklinnadjuped Offshore Norway, Northern high- Up to 0.5 m ka 1 Infilling drift Weak layer (?) Laberg et al. (2001), Slide Norwegian Sea latitudes (Sklinnadjuped Dahlgren et al. (2002) drift) Storegga Slide Offshore Norway, Northern high- 2400–3200 0.5–1.0 Mounded, elongated Sensitive clay Bryn et al. (2005a, b), Norwegian Sea latitudes drift layer Haflidason et al. et al. (2005), Kvalstad et al. (2005) byguestonJune3,2020 Tampen Slide Offshore Norway, Northern high- Mounded elongated Evans et al. (2005), Norwegian Sea latitudes drift (?) Solheim et al. (2005) − Northern Faroe Faroe Islands, Northern high- 14–30 cm ka 1 Mounded, elongated Rasmussen et al. (1996, Slide Complex offshore UK, latitudes drift (Faroe drift) 1998), Van Weering Norwegian Sea et al. (1998), Kuijpers et al. (2001), Long et al. (2004) − AFEN Slide Offshore UK, Faroe– Northern high- c. 0.153 (all phases) 1–3Upto10cmka1 Sheeted to mounded Sandy layer (?) Knutz and Cartwright Shetland Channel latitudes drift (West (2004), Wilson et al. Shetland drift) (2004) − Rockall Bank Offshore Ireland, Northern high- 265–765 5–10 5–17.1 cm ka 1 Elongated, mounded Weak layers Van Weering and de Rijk Slide Complex Rockall Trough latitudes drift (Feni drift) (1991), Faugères et al. (1999), Georgiopoulou et al. (2013, 2019) – Offshore eastern Northern mid- Plastered drift (?) Piper (2005) Canada, North latitudes Atlantic − – Grand Banks, Northern mid- 2Upto50cmka1 Plastered drift Lithological and Rashid et al. (2017) offshore eastern latitudes geotechnical Canada, North contrasts Atlantic − – Pianosa Ridge, Northern mid- 3–10 13 cm ka 1 Plastered drift Over-steepening Miramontes et al. (2016, Mediterranean latitudes (locally 2018) Sea 20) Downloaded from − – Gela and south Northern mid- 0.1–0.2 (individual mass c. 3 22.5 cm ka 1 Elongated and Mechanical Minisini et al. (2007), Adriatic Basin, latitudes transport deposits) separated drifts boundary, Verdicchio and Mediterranean clay layer Trincardi (2008) Sea − – SW Mallorca Island, Northern mid- 1.3–2.9 5.8 cm ka 1 (?) Mounded, elongated Lüdmann et al. (2012) Mediterranean latitudes drifts Sea – Alboran Sea, Northern mid- Contourite Ercilla et al. (2016) Mediterranean latitudes despositional Sea system http://sp.lyellcollection.org/ − – Levant Basin, Northern mid- Generally, ,1 (individual .425–130 cm ka 1 Plastered drift Over-steepening Katz et al. (2015), Mediterranean latitudes landslides) Hübscher et al. (2016) Sea – Bahamas Bank Norther low- 2–20 (individual c. 3 Plastered drift Stratigraphic Mulder et al. (2012); latitudes landslides) control (?) Principaud et al. Submarine slope failure in contourites (2015), Tournadour et al. (2015) − – Offshore Uruguay Southern mid- ,2 (individual landslides) 1–38–18 cm ka 1 Contourite Lithological Henkel et al. (2011), latitudes depositional control Krastel et al. (2011), system Ai et al. (2014), Hernández-Molina et al. (2016) − – Offshore Argentina Southern mid- 3–7 Up to 1.6 m ka 1 Contourite Lithological Hernández-Molina et al. latitudes depositional control; over- (2009), Ai et al. system steepening (2014), Krastel et al. byguestonJune3,2020 (2011), Preu et al. (2013) – Offshore Antarctic Southern low- 2–3 Decrease from 18 to Mounded drifts Under-cutting; Iwai et al. (2002), Volpi − Peninsula, Pacific latitudes c. 8cmka 1 weak layer et