Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/S009213/1
Emplacement mechanisms and the role of mass wasting in the Gulf of Corinth
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Mr G Carter, British Geological Survey, Marine Geoscience
- Grant held at:
- British Geological Survey, Marine Geoscience
- Science Area:
- Atmospheric
- Earth
- Freshwater
- Marine
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Unknown
- ENRIs:
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Global Change
- Science Topics:
- Geohazards
- Debris flows
- Earthquakes
- Gravity flows
- Submarine landslides
- Palaeoenvironments
- Marine sediments
- Ocean drilling
- Palaeogeology
- Quaternary Science
- Climate change
- Marine sediments
- Ocean drilling
- Pleistocene
- Sediment/Sedimentary Processes
- Gravity currents
- Marine sediments
- Ocean drilling
- Sedimentary deposits
- Abstract:
- This Moratorium Award proposal aims to provide a greater understanding of the emplacement mechanisms of mass failure deposits, in both macro- and micro-scale resolution, recovered within cores from Hole M0079A from IODP Expedition 381, "Corinth Active Rift Development". The project will aid in addressing one of the primary objectives of the Expedition, that of understanding surface processes in active rifts and the relative impacts of tectonics and climate on sediment flux. It will also contribute towards the secondary objective of improving our understanding of seismic, landslide and tsunami hazards within the Corinth Rift area. To achieve these goals it is crucial to understand previous mass failure events throughout the evolution of the rift basin for both syn-rift sediment infill and landslide frequency analysis in relation to regional geohazards. Furthermore, this study will contribute to evaluating the potential risks of subaqueous mass flows on seabed infrastructure (e.g. cables, pipelines, seabed installations) by increasing our understanding of their mode of emplacement and how this might affect debris flow run-out distances, and the impacts of these potentially destructive deposits upon near-surface sediments. There are two phases to the proposed research: 1) "The role of mass wasting in the evolution of a young active rift system: examples from the Gulf of Corinth". This research line involves the interpretation of high-resolution line scan images of split cores to understand the sedimentological and structural styles of deformation occurring during mass wasting. Cores recovered during drilling in the Gulf of Corinth preserved thick (metre-scale) debrite and slump deposits, with evidence of different styles of transport and emplacement. By interpreting these line scan images of split cores, we can identify key features of each mass movement deposit, such as styles of brittle and plastic soft-sediment deformation, evidence of syn-sedimentary intra-basinal erosion (rip-up clasts) and reworking of pre-existing sediments, and evidence of liquefaction and homogenisation during mass movement, as well as basal shearing within both the mass flow/debrite and underlying sediments. The results will be interpreted in terms of the dominant emplacement styles of these mass movement deposits (e.g. slumping vs debris flow) and their implications for the deposition of the syn-rift sediments. 2) "Macro- and Micro-scale evidence of mass movement emplacement mechanisms in the Gulf of Corinth". This part of the project focuses on the detailed micro-scale analysis of the slumps and debrites (using Micro-CT scan images and thin section analysis) and will provide critical insights into the emplacement mechanisms and processes (e.g. ductile shearing, brittle failure, liquefaction, hydrofracturing) occurring during the detachment, transport and emplacement of these mass movement deposits. The focus will be on investigating the changes in the style of deformation during mass transport and relating these to the dominant emplacement mechanism (e.g. basal shearing, hydroplaning) and their impacts upon the underlying sediments. The results of this study have implications for understanding the factors controlling not only mass flow emplacement, but also the run out distances of these deposits and their potential for impacting upon seafloor infrastructure (e.g. pipelines, cables). The proposed research would use multiple datasets to produce (a minimum of) two academic articles for publication in peer-reviewed journals. For further details, please see the attachment "Description of Proposed Research".
- NERC Reference:
- NE/S009213/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Directed (RP) - NR1
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- UK IODP Phase2
This grant award has a total value of £25,202
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| DI - Other Costs | Indirect - Indirect Costs | DI - Staff | DA - Estate Costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| £7,258 | £6,207 | £8,749 | £2,988 |
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