Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• Low-angle submarine landslides are more hazardous than steep ones, with sliding angles often below 5° and large volumes. • The failure mechanism involves combined effects of rapid sedimentation, high-pressure gas activity, and seismic events. • High-pressure gas acts as a long-term preconditioning factor by elevating pore pressures and reducing shear resistance. • Frequent or moderate earthquakes ultimately trigger local failure in predisposed slopes.
Abstract
Low-angle submarine landslides pose a greater threat to offshore infrastructure compared to those with steep sliding angles. Understanding the preparation and triggering mechanism of these low-angle submarine landslides remains a significant challenge. This study focuses on a deformed low-angle submarine landslide in the shelf-slope break of the Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea, integrating sedimentology, geophysics, and geotechnology to investigate potential failure mechanisms. The architecture and deformation characteristics of the submarine landslide were elucidated by analyzing multibeam and seismic data. Within the context of the regional geological history and tectonic framework, this study focuses on the factors (e.g., rapid sedimentation, fluid activity, and earthquakes) that potentially contributed to the submarine slope failure. Furthermore, a series of stability evaluations considering the effects of rapid sedimentation and earthquakes was conducted. Our findings indicate that the most probable triggering mechanism involves the combined effects of sedimentation controlled by sea-level fluctuations, high-pressure gas activity, and seismic events. The high-pressure gas, which acts as a long-term preconditioning factor by elevating pore pressures and reducing shear resistance within the sediment, accumulated beneath the upper and middle sections of the low-permeability stratum that was formed during sea-level rise and ultimately evolved into the sliding mass. The overpressure generated by gas accumulation predisposed the submarine slope to instability, and a frequent or moderate earthquake ultimately initiated local failure. This study enhances the mechanistic understanding of low-angle slope failures in the shelf-slope break zone and provides critical insights for assessing marine hazard risks.
1. Introduction
Submarine landslides are mass movements that occur widely in both shallow and deep-sea regions. These events not only pose significant risks to subsea cables, pipelines, oil platforms, and other marine infrastructure but also release tremendous amounts of energy that can generate tsunamis, thereby severely threatening the safety of coastal populations and their property [1–4]. For instance, the Grand Banks submarine landslide, located off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, severed subsea communication cables, leading to a 13-hour communication blackout. The tsunami triggered by this event also caused the deaths of 27 people [5]. Due to the destructive risks posed by submarine landslides and the recent surge in global ocean development, submarine landslides have garnered widespread attention from both academic researchers and industrial communities.
One of the most significant characteristics of many submarine landslides, compared to terrestrial landslides, is their low sliding angles. According to statistics by Tanyas et al. [6], the maximum of terrestrial landslides is 85.0° and the mean sliding angle is 27.0°. But the maximum and mean sliding angles of submarine landslides are 20.0° and 7.7°, respectively [7]. In addition, submarine landslides with sliding angles lower than 5° are the majority. For instance, submarine landslides along the eastern continental slope of North America, with sliding angles ranging from 0° to 5°, account for the largest proportion, according to statistics [8]. Numerous evidence indicate that the scale of submarine landslides is inversely correlated with their sliding angles, and large submarine landslides tend to occur in the gentlest regions of the continental slope, where the gradient is even less than 1°. A prominent example of low-angle submarine landslides is the Storegga Slide, located offshore Norway. The slide is situated on a slope ranging from 0.5° to 2°, with an estimated volume of 3.5×10^3 km^3 and covering an area of 9×10^5 km^2. This significant event generated a tsunami that reached a height of 80 m, submerging the Scottish islands and reaching up to 80 km inland [9,10]. It is evident that low-angle submarine landslides are more hazardous.
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Zhenghui Li, Cong Hu, Geetanjali Kishan Lohar, Xiujuan Wang, Duanxin Chen, Hanlu Liu, Devendra Narain Singh, Chaoqi Zhu, Yonggang Jia (2025). Potential failure mechanism of low-angle submarine landslides in shelf-slope break of Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea. Int. Journal of Mining Science and Technology (采矿与安全工程). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmst.2025.09.009
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are low-angle submarine landslides?
Low-angle submarine landslides are mass movements occurring on seafloor slopes with very gentle gradients, typically less than 5°, and often even below 1°. They pose significant threats to offshore infrastructure and can generate tsunamis.
What is the main triggering mechanism proposed in this study?
The study proposes that the most probable triggering mechanism involves the combined effects of rapid sedimentation controlled by sea-level fluctuations, high-pressure gas activity, and seismic events. High-pressure gas accumulates beneath low-permeability strata, elevating pore pressures and reducing shear resistance, while earthquakes initiate failure.
Why are low-angle submarine landslides more hazardous?
Low-angle submarine landslides tend to be larger in scale and can travel long distances, posing greater risks to subsea infrastructure and coastal communities. They can generate tsunamis with high run-up heights, as seen in the Storegga Slide.
What methods were used in this study?
The study integrated sedimentology, geophysics, and geotechnology, analyzing multibeam and seismic data to elucidate the architecture and deformation characteristics of the landslide. Stability evaluations were also conducted considering rapid sedimentation and earthquakes.
What is the significance of this research?
This research enhances the mechanistic understanding of low-angle slope failures in shelf-slope break zones and provides critical insights for assessing marine hazard risks, which is essential for the safe development of offshore resources and infrastructure.
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