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Surficial sediment failures due to the 1929 Grand Banks Earthquake, St Pierre Slope

View ORCID ProfileIrena Schulten, David C. Mosher, Sebastian Krastel, David J. W. Piper and Markus Kienast
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 477, 583-596, 3 May 2018, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP477.25
Irena Schulten
1Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford Street, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
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  • ORCID record for Irena Schulten
  • For correspondence: [email protected]
David C. Mosher
2Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping & Department Earth Sciences, University of New Hampshire, 24 Colovos Road, Durham, NH 03824, USA
3Natural Resources Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, 1 Challenger Drive, Dartmouth, NS B2Y 4A2, Canada
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Sebastian Krastel
4Institute of Geosciences, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Otto-Hahn-Platz 1, 24148, Kiel, Germany
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David J. W. Piper
3Natural Resources Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, 1 Challenger Drive, Dartmouth, NS B2Y 4A2, Canada
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Markus Kienast
1Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford Street, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
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Abstract

A Mw 7.2 earthquake centred beneath the upper Laurentian Fan of the SW Newfoundland continental slope triggered a damaging turbidity current and tsunami on 18 November 1929. The turbidity current broke telecommunication cables, and the tsunami killed 28 people and caused major infrastructure damage along the south coast of Newfoundland. Both events are believed to have been derived from sediment mass failure as a result of the earthquake. This study aims to identify the volume and kinematics of the 1929 slope failure in order to understand the geohazard potential of this style of sediment failure. Ultra-high-resolution seismic reflection and multibeam swath bathymetry data are used to determine: (1) the dimension of the failure area; (2) the thickness and volume of failed sediment; (3) fault patterns and displacements; and (4) styles of sediment failure. The total failure area at St Pierre Slope is estimated to be 5200 km2, recognized by escarpments, debris fields and eroded zones on the seafloor. Escarpments are typically 20–100 m high, suggesting failed sediment consisted of this uppermost portion of the sediment column. Landslide deposits consist mostly of debris flows with evidence of translational, retrogressive sliding in deeper water (>1700 m) and evidence of instantaneous sediment failure along fault scarps in shallower water (730–1300 m). Two failure mechanisms therefore seem to be involved in the 1929 submarine landslide: faulting and translation. The main surficial sediment failure concentrated along the deep-water escarpments consisted of widely distributed, translational, retrogressive failure that liquefied to become a debris flow and rapidly evolved into a massive channelized turbidity current. Although most of the surficial failures occurred at these deeper head scarps, their deep-water location and retrogressive nature make them an unlikely main contributor to the tsunami generation. The localized fault scarps in shallower water are a more likely candidate for the generation of the tsunami, but further research is needed in order to address the characteristics of these fault scarps.

  • © 2018 Natural Resources Canada. Published by The Geological Society of London. All rights reserved
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Geological Society, London, Special Publications: 477 (1)
Geological Society, London, Special Publications
Volume 477
2019
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Surficial sediment failures due to the 1929 Grand Banks Earthquake, St Pierre Slope

Irena Schulten, David C. Mosher, Sebastian Krastel, David J. W. Piper and Markus Kienast
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 477, 583-596, 3 May 2018, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP477.25
Irena Schulten
1Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford Street, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Irena Schulten
  • For correspondence: [email protected]
David C. Mosher
2Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping & Department Earth Sciences, University of New Hampshire, 24 Colovos Road, Durham, NH 03824, USA
3Natural Resources Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, 1 Challenger Drive, Dartmouth, NS B2Y 4A2, Canada
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Sebastian Krastel
4Institute of Geosciences, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Otto-Hahn-Platz 1, 24148, Kiel, Germany
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
David J. W. Piper
3Natural Resources Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, 1 Challenger Drive, Dartmouth, NS B2Y 4A2, Canada
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Markus Kienast
1Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford Street, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site

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Surficial sediment failures due to the 1929 Grand Banks Earthquake, St Pierre Slope

Irena Schulten, David C. Mosher, Sebastian Krastel, David J. W. Piper and Markus Kienast
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 477, 583-596, 3 May 2018, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP477.25
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