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Pleistocene giant slope failures offshore Arauco Peninsula, Southern Chile

Pleistocene giant slope failures offshore Arauco Peninsula, Southern Chile
Pleistocene giant slope failures offshore Arauco Peninsula, Southern Chile
Three Pleistocene giant slope failures are observed in high-resolution bathymetric and seismic reflection data off Southern Chile, two of which extend across the full width of the continental slope from the shelf break to the trench. With mobilized volumes between 253 km3 and 472 km3, these slides are among the largest submarine landslides documented at active continental margins so far. Deposits of each of the slides are imaged as chaotic sequences in seismic reflection lines buried beneath well-stratified sediments in the Chile Trench. The ages of the three slides are about 0.25, 0.41 and >0.56 Ma. The main preconditioning factor for the slope instabilities seems to be local uplift of the continental slope that results in peculiarly high slope angles of up to 30°. Uplift of the marine and continental forearc of the study area is the result of shortening across upper plate faults and therefore a long-term continuous process. Slope instability seems to be an iterative process and failure is likely to recur.
0016-7649
1237-1248
Geersen, J.
6de9e180-8d3f-4b2c-a233-2a13242b86ae
Volker, D.
76a605d0-e046-4204-b054-78211751f0c7
Behrmann, J.H.
aff57826-c373-423a-987a-0db0d1313510
Reichert, C.
a0cb0cb3-f5cf-4ec1-95eb-6d37ae80966c
Krastel, S.
3f5620f7-1f0d-4429-9a50-5f72663edd4d
Geersen, J.
6de9e180-8d3f-4b2c-a233-2a13242b86ae
Volker, D.
76a605d0-e046-4204-b054-78211751f0c7
Behrmann, J.H.
aff57826-c373-423a-987a-0db0d1313510
Reichert, C.
a0cb0cb3-f5cf-4ec1-95eb-6d37ae80966c
Krastel, S.
3f5620f7-1f0d-4429-9a50-5f72663edd4d

Geersen, J., Volker, D., Behrmann, J.H., Reichert, C. and Krastel, S. (2011) Pleistocene giant slope failures offshore Arauco Peninsula, Southern Chile. Journal of the Geological Society, 168 (6), 1237-1248. (doi:10.1144/?0016-76492011-027).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Three Pleistocene giant slope failures are observed in high-resolution bathymetric and seismic reflection data off Southern Chile, two of which extend across the full width of the continental slope from the shelf break to the trench. With mobilized volumes between 253 km3 and 472 km3, these slides are among the largest submarine landslides documented at active continental margins so far. Deposits of each of the slides are imaged as chaotic sequences in seismic reflection lines buried beneath well-stratified sediments in the Chile Trench. The ages of the three slides are about 0.25, 0.41 and >0.56 Ma. The main preconditioning factor for the slope instabilities seems to be local uplift of the continental slope that results in peculiarly high slope angles of up to 30°. Uplift of the marine and continental forearc of the study area is the result of shortening across upper plate faults and therefore a long-term continuous process. Slope instability seems to be an iterative process and failure is likely to recur.

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More information

Published date: 2011
Organisations: Geology & Geophysics

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Local EPrints ID: 338895
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/338895
ISSN: 0016-7649
PURE UUID: 5ac1a5e4-ec30-4ae1-a6df-a019ed53c0b3

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Date deposited: 17 May 2012 13:23
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 11:06

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Contributors

Author: J. Geersen
Author: D. Volker
Author: J.H. Behrmann
Author: C. Reichert
Author: S. Krastel

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