Marine Geology最新文献

{"title":"Riverine sediment geochemistry and its dispersal pattern on the western Sunda Shelf","authors":"Nicholas Chia Wei Ng ,&nbsp;Chao Li ,&nbsp;Yalong Li ,&nbsp;Guodong Jia ,&nbsp;Hasrizal Shaari ,&nbsp;Shouye Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107433","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107433","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding sediment provenance in continental shelf basins is essential for reconstructing paleoenvironmental changes, enhancing insights into sedimentary dynamics, and elucidating their contributions to the global carbon cycle. To decipher sediment provenances and enhance comprehension of the sediment dispersal patterns and the factors governing geochemical compositions on the Sunda Shelf, we conducted an exhaustive analysis of trace elemental concentrations and the isotopic ratios of strontium (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) and neodymium (εNd) in the silicate fractions of 35 surface sediment samples. These samples were collected from the western Sunda Shelf and its proximate major river end-members, namely, the Mekong, Rajang, Pahang, and Kelantan Rivers. Through the application of various statistical methodologies, including classical cluster analysis, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), the La-Sc-Th discrimination diagram, and an array of elemental ratios, we identified three distinct geochemical provinces on the Sunda Shelf. Each province is defined by unique geochemical signatures indicative of varied sediment sources or provenances. This distinction was primarily attributed to pronounced sediment heterogeneity, reflecting lithologic variances from the diverse river end-members. In pursuit of a holistic understanding of sediment provenance in the region, Sr<img>Nd isotopic data was also integrated from prior studies encompassing the eastern Sunda Shelf and the southern South China Sea. By utilizing the Sr<img>Nd mixing model, complemented with Monte-Carlo simulations, we estimated the sediment contributions from surrounding river end-members to the southern South China Sea basin. According to the model, the Mekong River emerges as the principal sedimentary source of the Sunda continental shelf and the southern South China Sea, attributed to its substantial sediment outputs. Additionally, the model has identified significant contributions from the Rajang, Pahang, and Kelantan rivers, particularly in offshore regions near their estuaries. Further, this study revealed the previously underappreciated influence of South China's rivers, namely the Red and Pearl Rivers, on the eastern Sunda Shelf and deeper southern South China Sea region beyond the continental shelf. This study not only delineates the dominant sediment sources influencing the Sunda Shelf and the South China Sea but also underscores the importance of considering a broad spectrum of river end-members to understand sedimentary dynamics in an active marine environment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"478 ","pages":"Article 107433"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142662826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Foraminifera and sediments cored from the bottom of the Faanu Mudugau Blue Hole, Ari Atoll, Maldives: Diversity, taphonomy and environmental reconstruction of an inhabitable substrate","authors":"Victor M. Giraldo-Gómez ,&nbsp;Luca Arena ,&nbsp;Marco Capello ,&nbsp;Laura Cutroneo ,&nbsp;Annalisa Azzola ,&nbsp;Monica Montefalcone ,&nbsp;Antonino Briguglio","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107428","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107428","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Maldives Archipelago is located above the largest carbonate platforms on Earth in the Indian Ocean. The Faanu Mudugau Blue Hole, located in the Ari Atoll (Maldives), is the only one so far discovered in the Indian Ocean and has several peculiarities.</div><div>We provide for the first time a comprehensive study of the benthic foraminiferal assemblages recovered from a push core collected from the deepest part of the blue hole; a detailed taxonomy allowed the reconstruction of both abundance and diversity of foraminifera through the recovered core. Despite the acidic bottom conditions and an increase in hydrogen sulfide concentration, the benthic foraminifera of the Faanu Mudugau Blue Hole are well preserved and mostly unaltered. The systematic study gives evidence that benthic foraminifera, retrieved at the bottom of the blue hole at ∼80 m depth, are instead typical of the lagoon in a coral reef environment. The most abundant taxon is the genus <em>Amphistegina</em>, a symbiont-bearing larger benthic foraminifer that commonly lives on macroalgae on well-irradiated seafloors. The predominance of hyaline taxa based on the triplot and the evaluation of the Foram Index, which indicate a good oxygenation condition in the bottom waters, suggest that benthic foraminifera of the Faanu Mudugau Blue Hole have all been transported.</div><div>Sediment granulometry, the taphonomic characteristics of foraminiferal shells, and the physical-chemical parameters of the water column confirm the hypothesis that all retrieved benthic foraminifera are transported within the blue hole from the nearby coral reef lagoon, and neither any of the individuals nor any of the taxa identified are living on the blue hole seafloor, making this environment inhospitable for protists. Transport is primarily triggered by sea surface currents, mostly related to seasonal monsoons and tides, which are typical of the Maldivian Archipelago.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"478 ","pages":"Article 107428"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142662822","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evolution process of chemical weathering and sediment sources in the Makran Continental margin since the Younger Dryas","authors":"Chunhui Xiao ,&nbsp;Yonghong Wang ,&nbsp;Jian Lin ,&nbsp;Kaiwei Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107416","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107416","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The chemical weathering processes and sedimentary source evolution since the Younger Dryas (YD) in the low-latitude arid continental margin have been investigated. Two sediment cores, MK07G and MK09G, were retrieved from the Makran continental margin in the northern Arabian Sea and subjected to analyses of major and trace elements, along with AMS¹⁴C dating. The results show that since the YD, the weathered parent rocks of Makran sediments have remained relatively stable, predominantly consisting of felsic rocks, with some contributions from mafic rocks. The Makran sediments exhibit initial to moderate weathering, with no discernible effects from grain size sorting or disturbances from sediment recycling, indicating primary deposition. Significant contributions of terrigenous eolian dust from surrounding continents (e.g., the Indian subcontinent, Arabian Peninsula, and northeastern Africa) were identified, along with riverine inputs from the Dasht River and fine-grained components from the Late Pleistocene Indus delta sediment, as well as proximal basin sedimentation. The evolution of sediment sources in the study area is significantly influenced by the Indian Monsoon and westerly wind systems, with intensified monsoon phases and westerly conditions correlating with increased fluvial input. Furthermore, chemical weathering processes since the YD are closely linked to local precipitation patterns, where intensified rainfall enhances weathering intensity. Records from the Makran continental margin indicate a teleconnection between chemical weathering and sedimentary processes in the Arabian Sea and Bond events in the North Atlantic, highlighting the extensive influence of Northern Hemisphere climate fluctuations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"478 ","pages":"Article 107416"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142554541","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bayesian statistical analysis reveals spatial heterogeneity in Cyclone Thane deposits from Southeast India","authors":"C. Gouramanis ,&nbsp;A. Karthik ,&nbsp;S. Srinivasalu ,&nbsp;S. Carson ,&nbsp;A.D. Switzer","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107418","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107418","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Modern and geological records of storm sedimentary deposits preserved on siliciclastic coastlines are important archives to evaluate the past and current magnitude and impacts of storms. Examination of modern storm deposits also offers the opportunity to evaluate the similarities and differences between storm and other coastal overwash processes and hazards.</div><div>We examined the stratigraphy and sedimentary characteristics of the 31st December 2011 Cyclone Thane and underlying coastal units from 14 pits from six sites from the coastal zone of Tamil Nadu Province, southeast India. We analysed the grain size parameters, grain shape, and heavy mineral proportions of each deposit in high resolution and examined the sedimentary structures of each unit. For the first time, we use Bayesian factors to quantitatively evaluate the similarities and differences between the storm sedimentary deposits and other co-located coastal sedimentary deposits. At several sites, the storm deposits differ in several parameters from the underlying coastal deposits, but at some locations, distinguishing between different depositional units cannot be achieved. In comparing the storm deposits from the different sites, mean grain size results in the most coherent pattern with closely located sites having similar mean grain size, and more southerly sites being finer grained. The other measured parameters show a far less coherent pattern with adjacent sites often preserving larger differences than more distal sites attesting to very local hydrodynamic variations during sediment deposition. As with the sedimentary parameters, the sedimentary structures formed during sediment deposition preserved at each site are highly variable. To date, the presence of terminal foresets at the landward edge of washover fans remains the only diagnostic feature of storm deposition, but that this feature is not ubiquitous across all storm deposits. Our findings demonstrate the spatially heterogeneous nature of storm sediment deposition and the challenges of identifying storm deposits in coastal siliciclastic sequences. The use of Bayesian statistical approaches also offers a robust method for evaluating and discriminating between coastal sediment deposits that has many advantages over traditional frequentist approaches. This method can easily be applied to other sedimentary depositional environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"478 ","pages":"Article 107418"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142662829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How do morphological characteristics affect tidal asymmetry in the Radial Sand Ridges?","authors":"Xi Feng ,&nbsp;Zheng Li ,&nbsp;ChunYan Zhou ,&nbsp;Zeng Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107417","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107417","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While it is widely recognized that the Radial Sand Ridges (RSR) in the South Yellow Sea are predominantly shaped by tidal forces, there remains a limited understanding of how this distinctive morphological configuration—characterized by an interlaced channel-ridge system—can subsequently influence local tidal dynamics. This study examines the effects of morphological features on tidal asymmetry, taking into account seabed slope, relative depths between ridges and channels, and channel convergence. Three principal indices—namely tidal-duration-asymmetry (TDA), peak-current-asymmetry (PCA), and slack-water-asymmetry (SWA)—are employed to quantify various dimensions of tidal asymmetry. The findings indicate that SWA serves as the most morphology-sensitive indicator, whereas TDA exhibits minimal sensitivity to morphological changes. Furthermore, seabed steepness emerges as a critical factor influencing tidal asymmetry within the RSR; steeper slopes enhance intrinsic energy conversion processes, thereby inducing tidal asymmetries. Additional analysis reveals that streamwise advection accounts for an average of 88 % of total advection scale while controlling for spatial heterogeneity. Specifically, the average integral sum of advection terms along submerged sand ridges is 2.53 times greater than that along the deepest section of the tidal channel line—a significant contributor to spatial variability in SWA. With a positive seabed slope, the apex of the RSR acts as a source for overtides which interact with incoming astronomical tides, consequently generating tidal asymmetries. Moreover, this study illustrates varying dependencies of tidal asymmetry on bottom stress across channels and ridges, contributing to spatial variability in arc direction among RSRs. Ultimately, this research elucidates complex interactions between tidal flow and morphological characteristics within RSRs and provides insights into tide evolution in analogous ebb-shoal systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"478 ","pages":"Article 107417"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142560835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Double tombolo formation by regressive barrier widening and landside submergence: The case of Orbetello, Italy","authors":"Gilles Brocard ,&nbsp;Jean-Philippe Goiran ,&nbsp;Alessandro Conforti ,&nbsp;Frank Preusser ,&nbsp;Quentin Vitale ,&nbsp;Guillaume Jouve ,&nbsp;Lionel Darras ,&nbsp;Christophe Benech ,&nbsp;Cécile Vittori ,&nbsp;Christine Oberlin ,&nbsp;Edwige Pons-Branchu ,&nbsp;Laurent Mattio ,&nbsp;Arthur de Grauuw ,&nbsp;Marco Leporati-Persiano ,&nbsp;Andrea U. De Giorgi ,&nbsp;Adele Bertini","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107415","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107415","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The double tombolo of Orbetello, in Italy, has formed during the Holocene around an ancient central tombolo. Earlier models consider that its sand barriers formed as sand spits that stretched from the mainland to a coastal island before enlarging seawards. This evolution, however, remains speculative. In order to test these models, we conducted the first study of a double tombolo that combines coring of its sand barriers and comprehensive imaging of its internal structure using sub-bottom acoustic surveys offshore and in the back-barrier. Sediment ages were constrained by ¹⁴C, luminescence, and U/Th dating. Acoustic images below the lagoon show that the barriers are in fact broad regressive strandplains that initiated on the flanks of the preexisting central isthmus when sea level was −7 ± 1 m lower than today. The strandplains then rose upwards and outwards, tracking sea level rise over the past 7 kyr. The oldest and lowest parts of the strandplains were flooded into the shallow intervening lagoon. The central isthmus is composed of regressive sand barriers accreted around a MIS 5.5 core during subsequent stages MIS 5.3 and MIS 5.1. The emplacement of the isthmus interrupted longshore drift between the mainland and the coastal island, converting the flanks of the initial tombolo into terminal sinks in which sand accretion accelerated, spurring early and rapid regression during the Holocene. A review of the environmental parameters conducive to double tombolo formation suggests that double tombolos may represent a frequent, albeit short-lived stage during the enlargement of single tombolos.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"477 ","pages":"Article 107415"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142529851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Formation of vertical columnar seismic structures and seafloor depressions by groundwater discharge in the drowned Miami Terrace platform and overlying deep-water carbonates, southeastern Florida","authors":"Kevin J. Cunningham ,&nbsp;Richard L. Westcott ,&nbsp;Sean Norgard ,&nbsp;Edward Robinson ,&nbsp;Harry J. Dowsett ,&nbsp;Marci M. Robinson","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107413","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107413","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;The presence of vertical cross-formational fluid migration passageways within sedimentary basins can profoundly impact aquifer and reservoir fluid-flow and their identification is fundamental to informing management of subsurface fluid resources (groundwater, oil, gas). In an onshore and offshore southeastern part of Florida, 2D/3D seismic-reflection and bathymetry data document ∼153 vertical columnar structures composed of reflection disruptions up to 790 m in the height and averaging 360 m in diameter, and ∼219 subcircular to circular seafloor depressions up to 1334 m wide. Our study focuses on these features found within the offshore shallow-marine carbonate Miami Terrace platform, which drowned approximately at the end of the middle Miocene, and within overlying Plio-Quaternary deep-water carbonate slope and drift deposits. Most columnar structures are rooted in stratiform aquifers of the Miami Terrace platform and associated with faults or fault intersections produced by Eocene and circa late Miocene tectonics. The columns commonly terminate within the platform or as subcircular depressions along an amalgamated karstic and drowning unconformity at the platform top. The columns typically stretch upwards from a zone of deep karst cavity collapse through the Miami Terrace platform with upward decreasing sag on internal reflections. Following drowning and Plio-Quaternary partial burial of the Miami Terrace platform by deep-water deposits, the subcircular depressions and faults along the platform top were points of origin for a second phase of column growth upward into the deep-water deposits. The continuation of deep platform cavity collapse and column evolution produced pockmarks along paleo-seafloors within the deep-water deposits and at the present-day sea floor. The Plio-Quaternary pockmarks formed at water depths too deep to suggest an origin related to meteoric karst above or near sea level, but rather their formation is suggested to be related to cyclic sea level falls that drove increased groundwater head and density gradients, and seafloor discharge of offshore freshened groundwater sourced from the underlying platform. Plausibly, mixing of freshened groundwater and seawater at the seafloor discharge sites drove dissolution of the host deep-water deposits, which together with erosion by groundwater venting and current scouring formed the pockmarks.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Seaward of the Plio-Quaternary seafloor pockmarks, at the late-middle Miocene upper slope of the Miami Terrace platform and along the regional karst/drowning unconformity is a slope-parallel band of ∼189 densely distributed subcircular seafloor depressions with diameters up to 1334 m at water depths up to ∼660 m. It is plausible that along the upper slope, faults and fractures produced by gravity-driven slope instability and possibly tectonics formed a dense network of fluid passageways that promoted upward artesian freshened groundwater flow to sites of discharge where mi","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"478 ","pages":"Article 107413"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142586087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Morphosedimentary evolution of the Belgica Mound Drift: Controls on contourite depositional system development in association with cold-water coral mounds","authors":"Alice Ofélia Matossian,&nbsp;David Van Rooij","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107410","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107410","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Small-scale contourite drift is an important component of continental margins that can record information about complex oceanographic processes. The Belgica Mound Drift is one example of a small-scale contourite drift. It is formed under the influence of cold-water coral (CWC) mounds and represents one of the most distal contouritic expressions influenced by the Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) in the NE Atlantic Ocean. Three distinct evolutionary stages have been identified from new high-resolution pseudo-3D reflection seismic data, each associated with a significant change in paleoceanography, affecting both bottom-current intensity and sediment input. The pre-drift stage (Pliocene–Early Pleistocene) corresponds to the regional RD1 erosive event, which was caused by the reintroduction of the MOW in the Porcupine Seabight, creating a distinct paleotopography that will influence all ensuing sedimentary processes. The second stage (Early Pleistocene–Middle Pleistocene) is the contourite drift inception in two distinct centres of growth, strongly steered by topographic obstacles such as the CWC mounds. During the third and final stage (Middle Pleistocene–present day), the contourite drift is developed under a more stable but less dynamic environment, characterised by more continuous and mounded aggradational stratification. The final stage of the contourite drift is related to the Middle Pleistocene Transition, with a spatially variable reduction in the MOW-related bottom currents and sediment input. The spatial and temporal evolution of this drift shows that its present-day morphology is controlled by the location of initial growth. Evolving moat morphology indicates that the intensity of the bottom currents generally increases during the drift evolution.</div><div>This research presents a crucial paradigm for advancing our knowledge of elucidating the complexities of smaller-sized contourite systems in diverse oceanic environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"477 ","pages":"Article 107410"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142529920","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Flow conditions of the Quaternary Deep-water Current reconstructed by sediment waves in the northeastern South China Sea","authors":"Xingxing Wang ,&nbsp;Qiliang Sun ,&nbsp;Hongbin Wang ,&nbsp;Shaoru Yin ,&nbsp;Xing Wan ,&nbsp;Jie Chen ,&nbsp;F. Javier Hernández-Molina","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107414","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107414","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The South China Sea (SCS) plays a key role in maintaining the circulation in the Pacific and Indian oceans. After entering the northeast South China Sea from the Luzon Strait, the Pacific Deep Water transforms into the Deep-water Current (DWC) and flows westward. The upwelling of the DWC in the SCS could outflow into both the Indian and Pacific oceans. However, when and how this modern circulation was established in the SCS remains unclear. By using seismic reflection data tied to the Ocean Drilling Program wells in the northeastern SCS margin, we have discovered fields of previously unreported sediment waves, of which the onset dates back to ∼2.6 Ma. The sediment wave heights increased from 2.0 to 7.5 m, in association with spatial extent from 630 km² to 800 km² between ∼2.6 Ma and ∼ 0.7 Ma. After that, the wave heights and spatial extent reduced to ∼5.5 m and 700 km², respectively. Considering the location, morphological features and water depth, we propose that these sediment waves were formed by the DWC. The morphological changes of the sediment waves are linked to energy increase and decrease of the DWC within ∼2.6–0.7 Ma and ∼ 0.7–0 Ma, respectively. We interpret the intensification as caused by the narrowing and uplifting of the Luzon Strait that is the sole deep-water gateway of the SCS, and speculate that the post-0.7 Ma weakening was probably related to the reduced Kuroshio Current intrusion due to the middle Pleistocene climate transition. This study proposes a novel model for the evolution of the Quaternary DWC hydrodynamics, fostering our understanding of the paleo-oceanographic links between the SCS and the Pacific Ocean.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"477 ","pages":"Article 107414"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142529852","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Size-frequency distribution of submarine mass movements on the palomares continental slope (W Mediterranean)","authors":"L. Retegui ,&nbsp;D. Casas ,&nbsp;D. Casalbore ,&nbsp;M. Yenes ,&nbsp;J. Nespereira ,&nbsp;F. Estrada ,&nbsp;A. Canari ,&nbsp;F.L. Chiocci ,&nbsp;J. Idárraga-García ,&nbsp;M. Teixeira ,&nbsp;J. Ramos ,&nbsp;N. López-Gonzalez","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107411","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107411","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this work, over 3620 km² from the Palomares continental slope, which is located in the W. Mediterranean Sea, was analysed to quantify the impact of recent mass movements on this margin. A total of 936 landslides were identified, mapped and characterised by defining several morphometric variables that outline the accumulated impact of landslides equivalent to 918 km² and 10.34 km³ of eroded sediment on the continental slope. The smallest event area was 0.0014 km², whereas the largest event area was 32.48 km². Smaller scars with a higher headwall gradient tend to dominate when the environment is steeper, and major mass movements are located on open slopes and structural highs. However, the slight or null correlations between variables indicate that a wide range of sizes may occur on any slope gradient and at any depth.</div><div>The Palomares continental slope is intensively affected by mass movements. Compared with other passive margins (e.g., the U.S. Atlantic continental margin), landslides mobilised a limited amount of sediment, although it is comparable to other Mediterranean areas where small- to moderate-sized events are characteristic.</div><div>The cumulative size distribution can be defined by a power-law function that describes events larger than 0.7 km² with an exponent of α = 1.269. These results are consistent with those of other published inventories, including onshore cases. This result allows us to assume that the scale-invariant properties of the events are mapped. Scale-invariant properties can be explained by different models; self-organised criticality (SOC) is probably the most assumed by the scientific community, although alternative models may be nominated. Each model has important implications in terms of the landslide distribution and long-term landslide history of any slope. Alternative scenarios, such as submarine slopes, with more precise landslide inventories may contribute to new hazard assessment models that consider scaling exponents derived from size–frequency distributions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"477 ","pages":"Article 107411"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142442096","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}