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Geophysical evidence and inferred triggering factors of submarine landslides on the western continental margin of the Ulleung Basin, East Sea

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Abstract

Submarine landslides form very complex depositional and erosional features on the seafloor, and their dynamics and triggering processes are yet to be understood completely. Numerous studies are being undertaken both because of the scientific significance but also for their potential harm to seafloor infrastructure and coastal areas. This study investigates the styles and causes of landsliding along the western margin of the Ulleung Basin in the East Sea, based on multiple sparker, subbottom profiler, multibeam echosounder and sediment core datasets collected in 2015. The bathymetric analyses indicate that the southern slope of the Ulleung Basin has experienced at least seven submarine failures. These failures left clear arcuate-shaped scarps that initiated at water depths of ~600 m. The observed headwall scarps have heights that exceed 60 m and appear to be the result of retrogressive-type failures. Seismic reflection data clearly image the basal sliding surface that is characterized by a prominent high-amplitude reflector. Chaotic-to-transparent seismic facies occur immediately downslope of the headwall scarps; these represent ~20 m thick landslide deposits. Gravity cores taken from areas adjacent to the scars suggest that these slides are older than ca. 97 ka. Interpretation of the present data shows that faults appear to cut recent sediments upslope of scarps, and that the slope may still be in an active phase of failure. Seismic data also image various overpressurized gases and/or gas fluids, as evidenced by the occurrence of pockmarks and seismic chimneys in upslope or adjacent areas of the scarps. Hence, earthquakes associated with tectonic activity and development of fluid overpressure may have acted as the main conditioning factor for destabilizing the slope sediments. Geotechnical stability analyses indicate that the sampled slope sediments are exceptionally stable under present-day conditions, even under seismic loading. This finding points to additional forces such as excess pore pressure caused by gas fluids at the times of slide emplacement.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Marine Geological and Geophysical Mapping of the Korean Seas Project (16–3317) and partly by basic research project “Study on marine geology and mineral resources in buried paleochannel of Seomjin River, South Sea (16–3316) of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM). We thank A. Micallef, A. Georgiopoulou and the journal editors for their constructive comments. We also thank the crew of R/V Tamhae II for their assistance during data acquisition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Petroleum and Marine Research Division, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), Daejeon, 305-350, Korea

    Deniz Cukur, Gee-Soo Kong, Jang-Jun Bahk, Senay Horozal, In-Kwon Um, Gwang-Soo Lee & Jung-Ki Kim

  2. Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), Pohang, 791-948, Korea

    Seong-Pil Kim

  3. Department of Ocean Science, Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Busan, 49112, Korea

    Tae-Soo Chang

  4. Department of Ocean Sciences, Inha University, Incheon, 402-751, Korea

    Hun-Jun Ha

  5. MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

    David Völker

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  1. Deniz Cukur
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Correspondence to Deniz Cukur.

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Cukur, D., Kim, SP., Kong, GS. et al. Geophysical evidence and inferred triggering factors of submarine landslides on the western continental margin of the Ulleung Basin, East Sea. Geo-Mar Lett 36, 425–444 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-016-0463-5

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