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Mass-Transport Deposits in Deepwater Settings

R. Craig Shipp, Paul Weimer, and Henry W. Posamentier, Editors

CONTENTS
Overviews
Mass-transport deposits in deepwater settings: an introduction R. CRAIG SHIPP, PAUL WEIMER, AND HENRY W. POSAMENTIER ................................................................................................. 3 The character and genesis of submarine mass-transport deposits: insights from outcrop and 3D seismic data HENRY W. POSAMENTIER, AND OLE J. MARTINSEN ......................................................................................................................... 7 Interplay of mass-transport and turbidite-system deposits in different active tectonic and passive continental margin settings: external and local controlling factors C. HANS NELSON, CARLOTA ESCUTIA, JOHN E. DAMUTH, AND DAVID C. TWICHELL, JR. ............................................... 39

Seafloor and Near-Subsurface Studies


Algerian margin sedimentation patterns (Algiers area, southwestern Mediterranean) GABRIELA DAN-UNTERSEH, BRUNO SAVOYE, VIRGINIE GAULLIER, ANTONIO CATTANEO, JACQUES DEVERCHERE, KARIM YELLES, AND THE MARADJA 2003 TEAM ............................................................................. 69 Upper Quaternary seafloor mass-transport deposits at the base of slope, offshore Niger Delta, deepwater Nigeria JASON P. SUTTON, AND ROBERT M. MITCHUM, JR. .......................................................................................................................... 85 Characterization of mass-transport deposits on a Pliocene siliciclastic continental slope, northwestern South China Sea MANGZHENG ZHU, STEPHAN GRAHAM, AND TIM MCHARGUE ............................................................................................. 111 3-D Seismic stratigraphic interpretation of Quaternary mass-transport deposits in the Mensa and Thunder Horse intraslope basins, Mississippi Canyon, northern deep Gulf of Mexico, U.S.A. JORGE DIAZ, PAUL WEIMER, RENAUD BOUROULLEC, AND GEOFF DORN ........................................................................... 127 The Barrington submarine mass-transport deposit, western Scotian Slope, Canada DAVID C. MOSHER, AND D. CALVIN CAMPBELL ............................................................................................................................ 151 Late Neogene to Recent seafloor instability on the deep Pacific margin of the Antarctic Peninsula VALENTINA VOLPI, DAVID AMBLAS, ANGELO CAMERLENGHI, MIQUEL CANALS, MICHELE REBESCO, AND ROGER URGELES ..................................................................................................................................... 161

Geohazards Studies
Processes of submarine slope failure and fluid migration on the Ebro Continental Margin: implications for offshore exploration and development JOSE FREY-MARTNEZ, CLAUDIA BERTONI, JEAN GRARD, AND HUGO MATAS .............................................................. 181 Impact of a large mass-transport deposit on a field development in the upper slope of southwestern Sabah, Malaysia, offshore northwest Borneo HONGBO LU, AND R. CRAIG SHIPP ..................................................................................................................................................... 199

Descriptive Outcrop Studies


Stratal architecture and temporal evolution of a passive margin mass-transport deposit, Neoproterozoic Isaac Formation, Cariboo Mountains, British Columbia, Canada R.W.C. ARNOTT, K. WALLACE, AND J. LAURIN ............................................................................................................................... 221

Submarine mass-transport deposits of the Permian Cutoff Formation, West Texas, U.S.A.: internal architecture and controls on overlying reservoir sand deposition ROBERT AMERMAN, ERIC P. NELSON, MICHAEL H. GARDNER, AND BRUCE TRUDGILL ................................................. 235 Mass-transport deposits in the upper Paleocene Chicontepec Formation, Mexico STEPHEN P.J. COSSEY ............................................................................................................................................................................ 269 Heterogeneity of internal structures in a mass-transport deposit, Upper Cretaceous to Paleocene Akkeshi Formation, Hokkaido Island, northern Japan HAJIME NARUSE, AND MAKOTO OTSUBO ....................................................................................................................................... 279

Integrated Outcrops and Subsurface Studies


Mass-transport deposits: combining outcrop studies and seismic forward modeling to understand lithofacies distributions, deformation, and their seismic stratigraphic expression MASON DYKSTRA, KATERINA GARYFALOU, VANESSA KERTZNUS, BEN KNELLER, JUAN PABLO MILANA, MATTEO MOLINARO, MAGDALENA SZUMAN, AND PHILIP THOMPSON .............................. 293 Outcrop and seismic examples of mass-transport deposits from a Late Miocene deep-water succession, Taranaki Basin, New Zealand PETER R. KING, BRADLEY R. ILG, MALCOLM ARNOT, GREG H. BROWNE, LORNA J. STRACHAN, MARTIN CRUNDWELL, AND KRISTIAN HELLE ............................................................................................................................... 311

Reservoir Studies
Mass-transport deposits of the deepwater northwestern Borneo margin (Malaysia)characterization from seismic-reflection, borehole, and core data with implications for hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation SAM ALGAR, CHRIS MILTON, HYWEL UPSHALL, JON ROESTENBURG, AND PAUL CREVELLO ..................................... 351 Lithofacies analysis and stratigraphic architecture of a deep-water carbonate debris apron: Lower Cretaceous (latest Aptian to latest Albian) Tamabra Formation, Poza Rica Field Area, Mexico ROBERT G. LOUCKS, CHARLES KERANS, XAVIER JANSON, AND M. ALFREDO MARHX ROJANO .................................. 367 Reservoir characterization of sand-prone mass-transport deposits within slope canyons LAWRENCE D. MECKEL, III, MATTHEW ANGELATOS, JOS BONNIE, RODERICK MCGARVA, TONY ALMOND, NEIL MARSHALL, LAURENT BOURDON, AND KAREN AURISCH ............................................................ 391 Reservoir characteristics and classification of sand-prone submarine mass-transport deposits LAWRENCE D. MECKEL, III .................................................................................................................................................................. 423

Topical Studies
Deformation versus deposition of sediment waves in the Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea GARY HOFFMANN, ELI SILVER, SIMON DAY, NEAL DRISCOLL, AND DANIEL ORANGE .................................................. 455 Biostratigraphy of an upper Miocene mass-transport deposit on Demerara Rise, northern South American margin WESLEY C. INGRAM, DAVID C. MOSHER, AND SHERWOOD W. WISE, JR. ............................................................................... 475 Properties of mass-transport deposits as inferred from dynamic modeling of subaqueous mass wasting: a short review FABIO V. DE BLASIO, AND ANDERS ELVERHI .............................................................................................................................. 499 HinlopenYermak Landslide, Arctic OceanGeomorphology, landslide dynamics, and tsunami simulations MAARTEN VANNESTE, CARL B. HARBITZ, FABIO V. DE BLASIO, SYLFEST GLIMSDAL, JRGEN MIENERT, AND ANDERS ELVERHI .................................................................................................................................. 509

THECHARACTERANDGENESISOFSUBMARINEMASSTRANSPORTDEPOSITS:INSIGHTSFROMOUTCROP AND3DSEISMICDATA HENRYW.POSAMENTIER ChevronEnergyTechnologyCompany,1500LouisianaStreet,Houston,Texas77002,U.S.A. email:henry.posamentier@chevron.com AND OLEJ.MARTINSEN StatoilHydroResearch,P.O.Box7200,N5020Bergen,Norway email:OJMA@StatoilHydro.com ABSTRACT:Extensivedeepwatermasstransportdepositsareobservedinbothslopeandbasinfloor settings.Adetailedunderstandingofmasstransportdeposits,intermsofemplacementprocesses, depositionalproducts,andtheirstratigraphicandgeographicdistribution,isvitalbecausetheycan constituteasignificantportionofthestratigraphicsectionindeepwatersettings.Inaddition,mass transportdepositscanplayasignificantroleinhydrocarbonexploration,inasmuchastheycan constituteseal,reservoir,andpossiblysourcefaciesundertherightcircumstances. Differentdatatypesbringtolightdifferentaspectsofmasstransportdeposits.Thispaperfocuseson insightsderivedfromseismicandoutcropdata.Overallgeometriesandarchitectureofmasstransport depositsarereadilyobservablein3Dseismicdata;however,featuresbelowseismicresolutionthatare vitalforprocessandlithologicunderstandingneedtobeobservedinoutcrop.Integratingobservations acrossabroadrangeofscalesbylinkingseismicandoutcropobservationsconstitutesaneffectiveway ofimprovingourunderstandingofwhenandwheremasstransportdepositsarelikelytoform.In addition,thislinkageshedslightondetailsofinternalarchitecturethatcommonlycharacterizesthese deposits. Masstransportdepositscancomprisesheets,lobes,andchannelfills,andcanreach150mormorein thickness.Greaterthicknessesareobservedwheresuccessiveflowsareamalgamated.Thispaper documentsbothinternalarchitecturalorstratigraphicaswellasexternalgeomorphicattributesofsuch deposits,asexpressedinoutcropandimagedby3Dseismicdata. Recognitionofmasstransportdepositsinoutcropisbasedonidentificationofbeddingdeformedby synsedimentaryprocesses,withdeformationrangingfromminimalredistributionoflargeslideblocksto completedisaggregationtypicalofdebrisflowdeposits.Onseismicdata,masstransportdepositscan berecognizedbycertaingeomorphologicaswellasstratigraphicdistinguishingcharacteristics:basal lineargroovedandscouredsurfaces,hummockyreliefatthetop,andinternalchaotictotransparent seismicfacies,withinternalthrustfaultingcommon.

INTERPLAYOFMASSTRANSPORTANDTURBIDITESYSTEMDEPOSITSINDIFFERENTACTIVETECTONIC ANDPASSIVECONTINENTALMARGINSETTINGS:EXTERNALANDLOCALCONTROLLINGFACTORS

C.HANSNELSON InstitutoAndaluzdeCienciasdelaTierra,CSICUniversityofGranada,Granada,18002,Spain email:hansnelsonugr@hotmail.com

CARLOTAESCUTIA InstitutoAndaluzdeCienciasdelaTierra,CSICUniversityofGranada,Granada,18002,Spain email:cescutia@ugr.es

JOHNE.DAMUTH DepartmentofEarthandEnvironmentalSciences,UniversityofTexasatArlington, P.O.Box19049,Arlington,Texas760190049,U.S.A. email:damuth@uta.edu

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DAVIDC.TWICHELL,JR. U.S.GeologicalSurvey,384WoodsHoleRoad,QuissettCampus,WoodsHole,Massachusetts02543 1598,U.S.A. email:dtwichell@usgs.gov ABSTRACT:Thevolumeandinterplayofmasstransport(MTD)andturbiditesystemdepositsvarieson differentcontinentalmarginsdependingonlocalandexternalcontrolssuchasactivemarginorpassive margintectonicsettingandclimaticand/orsealevelchange.Erosionandbreachingoflocalgrabensat theshelfedgeofthesouthernBeringSeaproducegiant,gulliedcanyonsandMTDsheetsthatdominate thebasinfloordepositionanddisruptdevelopmentofturbiditesystems.Incontrast,externalcontrols ofgreatearthquakes(>8Mw)alongthePacificactivetectoniccontinentalmarginsofCascadiaand northernCaliforniacauseseismicstrengtheningofthesediment,whichresultsinminorMTDscompared toturbiditesystemdeposits.MessiniandesiccationoftheMediterraneanSeacausedadeeplyeroded EbrosubaerialcanyonandanunstablecentralsegmentwithanMTDsheet,whereasotherstableEbro marginsegmentshaveonlyturbiditesystems.InthenorthernGulfofMexico,thedeltafedMississippi FanandintraslopeminibasinscontainMTDsandturbiditesthatareequallyintermixedfromthelargest scaleswithMTDsheetshundredsofkilometerslongtothesmallestscaleswithbedscentimetersthick. IntheAntarcticWilkesLandmargin,globalclimatecoolingcausedalateOligocenetomiddleMiocene timeoftemperatecontinentalicesheetsthatresultedinmassivedepositionofMTDsonthemargin, whereaslaterpolaricesheetsfavoreddevelopmentofturbiditesystems. Ourcasestudiesprovidethefollowingnewinsights:(1)MTDscandominateentiremargins,dominate segmentsofamargin,beequallymixedwithturbidites,ordominateamarginduringsomegeologic timesandnotothers;(2)onactivetectonicmarginswithgreatearthquakes,themaximumrunout distancesofMTDsheetsacrossabyssalbasinfloorsareanorderofmagnitudeless(~100km)thanon passivemarginsettings(~1000km),andthevolumesofMTDsarelimitedontheabyssalseaflooralong activemargins;(3)wherethemostpreciseradiocarbonagesareavailable,majorMTDepisodesof depositionarecorrelatedwiththemostrapidfallsorrisesofsealevel;(4)gulliedcanyonsfeedingMTD sheetshaveirregularandsteepaxialgradients(59),whereascanyonsfeedingturbiditesystemshavea regulargradedprofileandlesssteepgradients(1to5).OurexamplesofMTDandturbiditesystems provideanaloguestohelpinterpretancientsystems.

ALGERIANMARGINSEDIMENTATIONPATTERNS(ALGIERSAREA,SOUTHWESTERNMEDITERRANEAN) GABRIELADANUNTERSEH IFREMER,GosciencesMarines,LaboratoireEnvironnementsSdimentaires,Plouzan,France AND UniversitdeBretagneOccidentale,IUEMCNRSUMR6538,29280Plouzan,France g.unterseh@fugro.com BRUNOSAVOYE(DECEASED) VIRGINIEGAULLIER LEGEM,UniversitdePerpignan,66860Perpignan,France ANTONIOCATTANEO IFREMER,GosciencesMarines,LaboratoireEnvironnementsSdimentaires,Plouzan,France JACQUESDEVERCHERE UniversitdeBretagneOccidentale,IUEMCNRSUMR6538,29280Plouzan,France KARIMYELLES CRAAG,CentredeRechercheenAstronomie,AstrophysiqueetGophysique,Bouzarah,Alger,Algrie AND MARADJA2003TEAM Abstract:Thepresentstudyprovidesanoverviewofrecentsedimentationpatternsonthecentral Algeriancontinentalmargin.Recentsedimentationpatternswereassessedfrommorphologicalanalysis, whichisbasedonswathbathymetryandechofaciesmapping.Itappearsthatsedimentationalongthe Algerianmarginiscontrolledbytwoprocesses:(1)gravityinducedprocesses,includingboth masstransportdepositsandturbiditycurrents,and(2)hemipelagicsedimentation.Masstransport depositsoccurontheAlgerianmarginatthecanyonheadsandflanks,intheinterfluveareasbetween canyons,alongtheseafloorescarpments,andontheflanksofsaltdiapirs.Masstransportdeposits (MTDs)sampledbycoringconsistofavarietyofsoftandhardmudclastconglomerateandturbidite deposits.MTDsaremostlylocalizedatthetoesofsteepslopes,wherethrustfaultswerepreviously identifiedandmapped.AnalysisofthespatialdistributionofMTDsandtheirrecurrenceintimehelp reconstructthemainpredisposingfactorsandtriggeringmechanisms,andevaluatetheirimpacton evolutionoftheAlgerianmargin.

UPPERQUATERNARYSEAFLOORMASSTRANSPORTDEPOSITSATTHEBASEOFSLOPE,OFFSHORENIGER DELTA,DEEPWATERNIGERIA JASONP.SUTTON RWEDeaUK,90HighHolborn,LondonWC1V6LJ,U.K. email:Jason.Sutton@rwe.com AND ROBERTM.MITCHUM,JR. ChevronCorporation,1600SmithStreet,Houston,Texas,77002,U.S.A. email:mitchrm@chevron.com ABSTRACT:Deepwatermasstransportdeposits(MTDs)areassociatedwithUpperQuaternaryseafloor leveedchannelcomplexesatthemouthofalargecanyonatthebaseofslopeoftheoffshoreNiger delta.Theymakeexcellentanalogsforinterpretingoldersubsurfacefeaturesandreservoirs,andfor geohazardanalysis.Theseleveedchannelcomplexesandmasstransportdepositsareassessedwithina 3Dseismicsurvey,usingdetailedimagesofseafloormapsandstratalsurfaces,artificiallydigitally colored,andverticallyexaggeratedtocreateoptimalimaging.Alargecanyonheadincisesthepresent dayshelfmarginoftheNigerdeltaandtraversesdowntheupperandlowerslopefor45kmtowardsthe southeast.Atthecanyonmouth,alargeapronofleveedchannelcomplexescoverstheslopeandbasin plainforadistanceof30kmwithintheseismicsurvey.Largesedimentwavesoccuronouterleveesof channelbends,attainingheightsof200m.Insomeareas,synclinallimbsofindividualsedimentwaves havebeendeformedbynumerousrotatedblocksalongsmalllistricfaultstoformsmallmappable MTDs. Othermasstransportdepositsoccurassociatedwithandabovetheleveedchannelcomplexes.Lengths oftheMTDsrangefrom1kmtoover16km,andthicknessescommonlyrangefrom100mto200m. Headwardescarpmentsarewellimagedinbothmapandcrosssectionviews.Proximalfaciesofthe MTDsincludesrotatedblocksandlargeangularglideblocks.Thesepassdistallyintosmallerglideblocks andchaoticseismicfaciesinferredtobedebrites.IntermediatepartsoftheMTDshavelongitudinal linearfeaturesparalleltoinferredflowdirection.Distalpatternsconsistoftransversecompressive ridges.OtherMTDstoolargetobecompletelyimagedwithinthe3Dsurveyshowinternalfacies, consistingoflargeangularglideblocksinamatrixofseismicallyvisiblesmallerblocksandchaoticfacies inferredtobedebrites.MultiplecausesofMDTsinthisareaareprobable.Inpossibleorderof importance,theseincludetiltingandoversteepeningofsedimentsbecauseoftectonicuplift,high sedimentationratesatthemouthofthecanyon,andeustaticfallsofsealevel.

CHARACTERIZATIONOFMASSTRANSPORTDEPOSITSONAPLIOCENESILICICLASTICCONTINENTAL SLOPE,NORTHWESTERNSOUTHCHINASEA MANGZHENGZHU ChevronCorporation,6001BollingerCanyonRoad,D1236,SanRamon,California94583,U.S.A. Presentaddress:NEOSGeoSolutions,Inc.,6201StoneridgeMallRoad,Suite450,Pleasanton,California 94568U.S.A. email:mzhu@neosgeo.com STEPHANGRAHAM StanfordUniversity,DepartmentofGeologicalandEnvironmentalSciences,BraunHall, GESBuilding320,Room118,Stanford,California94305,U.S.A. email:sagraham@stanford.edu AND TIMMCHARGUE StanfordUniversity,DepartmentofGeologicalandEnvironmentalSciences,BraunHall, GESBuilding320,Stanford,California94305,U.S.A. email:TimMchargue@gmail.com ABSTRACT:Thecharacteristics,evolutionaryhistory,andtriggeringmechanismsofsuccessivesiliciclastic masstransportdeposits(MTDs)oflateCenozoicageonthenorthwesternSouthChinaSeamarginwere studiedusingboreholeand2D/3Dreflectionseismicdata.Multiplemasstransportdepositsofvarious scalesandmorphologiesformedfromPliocenetoHolocenetimeinhighslopegradientandhigh sedimentationratepartsoftheQiongdongnanandYinggehaibasins.Inplanview,MTDsdocumentedby 3Dseismicdata,depositedbetween3and2Ma,are1to11kmwideand4to29kmlong.Twoseismic geomorphologiccharacteristicsofatypicalMTDcompriseabasalsurfaceanddisplacedmassesof sediments.Internalseismicfaciesofthedisplacedmassconsistofextensionalwedgefaciesinupslope areas,thrustedfaciesinintermediateareas,andchaoticormoundedfaciesindistaldownslopeareas. TheseMTDslikelyweretriggeredbyacombinationofmechanisms.Seaflooroversteepening,rapid accumulationofthicksedimentarydeposits,overpressure,andatectonicallyactivebasinsettingprovide abackgroundfavoringformationofMTDs.Additionally,seismicity,abruptincreaseofsedimentation rates,rapidslopeprogradation,andreleaseofgascontributedtotriggeringmasstransportdeposition inthestudyarea.

3DSEISMICSTRATIGRAPHICINTERPRETATIONOFQUATERNARYMASSTRANSPORTDEPOSITSINTHE MENSAANDTHUNDERHORSEINTRASLOPEBASINS,MISSISSIPPICANYON,NORTHERNDEEPGULFOF MEXICO,U.S.A. JORGEDIAZ SaudiAramco,P.O.Box1142,Dhahran31311,SaudiArabia PAULWEIMER EnergyandMineralsAppliedResearchCenter,DepartmentofGeologicalSciences, UniversityofColorado,Boulder,Colorado803090399,U.S.A. email:paul.weimer@colorado.edu RENAUDBOUROULLEC EnergyandMineralsAppliedResearchCenter,DepartmentofGeologicalSciences, UniversityofColorado,Boulder,Colorado803090399,U.S.A.

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GEOFFDORN TerrraSpark,2525ArapahoeAve,UnitE4PMB544,Boulder,Colorado803026746,U.S.A. ABSTRACT:ThestratigraphicevolutionoftheQuaternarymasstransportdeposits(MTDs)intheMensa andThunderHorseintraslopebasins,MississippiCanyon,northerndeepGulfofMexico,wasinterpreted basedonbasedon378squaremiles(970squarekm)of3Dseismicdatainwaterdepthsrangingfrom 5300to6500feet(1617to1983m).Sevendepositionalsequencesweredefinedinthestudyarea between1.3Matothepresent.Allochthonoussaltsystemshadbathymetricexpressionandinfluenced sedimentthicknessandlocationofdepositionalsystems.SixMTDsarepresentinfiveofthedepositional sequences.MTDsoverlieerosionalboundariesupto30moftheunderlyingsectionhasbeeneroded atthebaseofthedeposits.Thesedepositsconsistprimarilyofchaotic,rotated,andthrustedseismic reflections.Theyvaryinsizeandarealdistributionfromelongatedtomoreequidimensional. TheoldestMTDisinsequence1,overliesthe1.3Macondensedsection,andunderliesaseriesoffive easttrendingchannels.ThisMTDhasaneasterlytrendandrepresentstheinitialdepositionaftera majorreorganizationoftheslopesystem.IntheunderlyingMiocenelowerPleistocenesequences, channelstrendedfromthenorthwesttosoutheast.Sequences2and3consistofsevenadditional channelsthattrendprimarilyfromwesttoeast.ThesecondMTDispresentinsequence3,trendstothe southeast,andtruncatesfourchannels.Aseriesofstackedcondensedsections(ca.0.6to0.08Ma)form athinunitandseparatesequences3and4.Sequence4consistsprimarilyofhemipelagicandoverbank deposits.FourMTDsarepresentinthesequences57.Multiplesetsofthesedepositshavechannelized intoandstackedononeanother.TheseMTDsappeartohavebeensourcedprimarilyfromthewest, similartothechannelsintheunderlyingsequences. ThiscasestudyillustratesthemanyvariationsinMTDsthatarepresentinthesameintraslopesetting. Thesevariationscanoccurintheirsize,shape,thickness,seismicfacies,theamountoferosionattheir base,andtheirtimingofformationwithindifferentpositionsofsealevel.

THEBARRINGTONSUBMARINEMASSTRANSPORTDEPOSIT,WESTERNSCOTIANSLOPE,CANADA DAVIDC.MOSHER NaturalResourcesCanada,GeologicalSurveyofCanadaAtlantic,1ChallengerDr., Dartmouth,NovaScotia,B2Y4A2,Canada email:dmosher@nrcan.gc.ca

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D.CALVINCAMPBELL NaturalResourcesCanada,GeologicalSurveyofCanadaAtlantic,1ChallengerDr., Dartmouth,NovaScotia,B2Y4A2,Canada email:cacampbe@nrcan.gc.ca ABSTRACT:AlargesubmarineslidedepositfromthewesternScotianSlopeoffeasternCanadawas imagedona3DseismicreflectiondatasetintheBarringtonexplorationblock.Themasstransport deposit(MTD)formsatongueshapedbodythatis25kmlongand8kmwide,witharunoutdistance fromtheheadscarpof41.5kmandatotalvolumeof12.5km3.Inprofile,itconsistsofachaoticseismic facies.Thisfaciesformsahighlyrugosetopsurfacemorphology,suggestingthattheflowconsistedofan abundanceofintactangularblocks.ItsbaserevealsevidenceoferosiontypicalofsubmarineMTDs,with lineardownslopetrendinggougesandexcavationofapit50mdeep.Thesourceareaandheadscarpof theBarringtonMTDaresomewhatobscuredbypostdepositionalerosion.Additionally,highresolution seismicprofilesshowthatthedepositisdrapedbyapproximately30moflatePleistoceneandHolocene sediment,providinganageestimateof30kaforthefailure.Despitethisdrape,themodernseafloor abovetheMTDstillhasahighlyrugosemorphology,echoingthetopsurfaceofthedeposit. SeismicprofiledatashowaseriesofstackedMTDsunderlyingtheBarringtonMTD,suggestingthat massfailurerecurrenceiscommonongeologictimescales.Althoughitisdifficulttoattributemass failuretriggeringmechanisms,highsedimentationratesduetoproximalshelfglaciersandintense erosioncausingoversteepening,andlikelyestablishedpreconditionsforinstability.Localseismicity, possiblyaresultofglacialrebound,isthemostprobableinitiatingfactor.

LATENEOGENETORECENTSEAFLOORINSTABILITYONTHEDEEPPACIFICMARGINOFTHEANTARCTIC PENINSULA

VALENTINAVOLPI IstitutoNazionalediOceanografiaediGeofisicaSperimentale,BorgoGrottaGigante,42/C,34010 Sgonico(TS),Italy email:vvolpi@ogs.trieste.it

DAVIDAMBLAS GRCGeocinciesMarines,Dept.dEstratigrafia,PaleontologiaiGeocinciesMarines,Universitatde Barcelona,C/MartiFranques,s/n,CampusdePedralbes,E08028Barcelona,Spain email:damblas@ub.edu

ANGELOCAMERLENGHI ICREAandDepart.DEstratigrafia,P.y.GeoscincesMarinesUniversitatdeBarcelona,C/Marti Franques,s/n,E08028Barcelona,Spain email:acamerlenghi@ub.edu

MIQUELCANALS GRCGeocinciesMarines,Dept.dEstratigrafia,PaleontologiaiGeocinciesMarines,Universitatde Barcelona,C/MartiFranques,s/n,CampusdePedralbes,E08028Barcelona,Spain email:miquelcanals@ub.edu

MICHELEREBESCO IstitutoNazionalediOceanografiaediGeofisicaSperimentale,BorgoGrottaGigante,42/C,34010 Sgonico(TS),Italy email:mrebesco@ogs.trieste.it

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ROGERURGELES InstitutdeCienciesdelMar,CSIC,PasseigMaritimdelaBarceloneta,3749,08003Barcelona,Spain email:urgeles@icm.csic.es ABSTRACT:SedimentmasstransportinthePacificmarginoftheAntarcticPeninsulaisstrongly influencedbyitspeculiartectonicandsedimentaryevolution.Analysisofswathbathymetryand multichannelseismicreflectiondatashowsthatthissettingreflectsthepassagefromanactivetoa passivemargin,andthetransitionfromriverdominatedtoglacierdominatedsedimentation.Only contouriticsedimentationpersistedthroughoutthelateNeogeneonthecontinentalrise,whilerapid progradationofsteepwedgescomposedofglacialdiamictonoccursontheslope.Gravitational instabilityandmasstransportprocesses,whichoccuronthecontinentalrise,appeartorelateto physicalpropertiesofcontouritesedimentsdepositedinthishighlatitudesetting. Otherthanminorerosionalgulliesontheupperslope,thereisnoevidenceofmajorincisionssuchas channels,canyons,orslidescarsonasteepcontinentalslope(averages13).Thissituationresultsfrom highshearstrengthoftheslopeformingdiamictondeliveredbygroundedicesheets.Shortrunout massfailureswerethemainsedimenttransportprocesstotheslope.Turbiditycurrents,mostlikely originatedbydownslopeevolutionofmassflows,wereabletogeneratelargedeepseachannelsystems atthebaseofthecontinentalslope.

Onthecontinentalrise,relativelygoodsortingandahighaccumulationrateofsedimentsforming sedimentdriftsfavoredslopefailureevenongentleslopes.Coalescentheadscarpsthatformthedrift crestwereproducedbyundercuttingofsteeperflanksofdrifts.Thisprocessformedthewallsof turbiditycurrentchannels,flowinginlowreliefareasbetweendrifts.Failurealongstratalweaklayers onthegentlesidesofsedimentdriftsproducedeitherrelativelysmall,concaveslidescarsinthemargin proximaldriftorlong,rectilinearscarsindistallocations.

PROCESSESOFSUBMARINESLOPEFAILUREANDFLUIDMIGRATIONONTHEEBROCONTINENTAL MARGIN:IMPLICATIONSFOROFFSHOREEXPLORATIONANDDEVELOPMENT JOSEFREYMARTNEZ StatoilASA,TNESSTGGPRGE,NO4035,Stavanger,Norway email:jmfr@statoil.com CLAUDIABERTONI Repsol,ExplorationNewVentures,PCastellana,280,4thFloor,Madrid,28046,Spain email:cbertoni@repsol.com JEANGRARD Repsol,DisciplinasGeolgicas,PCastellana,280,1stFloor,Madrid,28046,Spain email:jgerard@repsol.com

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HUGOMATAS Repsol,ExplorationSpain,PCastellana,280,1stFloor,Madrid,28046,Spain email:hmatias@repsol.com ABSTRACT:Thispaperusesthreedimensionalseismicdatatoinvestigatethetypologies,genetics,and mechanismsofsoftsedimentdeformationalprocessesontheEbroContinentalMargin(offshore northeasternSpain).Thestudyfocusesonthetwomajortypesofsoftsedimentdeformationinthe region:slopefailureandfluidescapestructures.Suchprocesseshaveoperatedalmostcontinuously throughoutthepostPleistocenehistoryoftheEbroContinentalMargin,andhaveplayedacriticalrole initsoverallevolutionandconstruction.Thisstudyshowsthatverticalstackingpatternsofsubmarine canyonscreatepreferentialpathwaysforfluidmigrationandslopefailure.Intheseareas,three dimensionalseismicanalysisrevealsapotentialcauseandeffectrelationshipbetweenfocusedfluid migrationandrepeatedslopefailure.Theproposedmodelisthatfocusedfluidflowfromsandswithin stackedsubmarinecanyonsleadstooverpressuregenerationandreductionofsedimentshearstrength, makingsedimentsusceptibletofailure.Thepresenceofawidespreadregionoffluidescapestructures andslopefailuresontheEbroContinentalMarginhasimportantimplicationsforoffshorefacilities.The relativelyhighresolutionprovidedbytheseismicdatahasbeensufficienttobeusedforageohazard assessmentstudy,aimedatexploratorywelldesignandfielddevelopment.Theresultsfromthisstudy haveledtoadetailedprogramofseafloorandnearsurfaceevaluationoveraproposedareainthearea.

IMPACTOFALARGEMASSTRANSPORTDEPOSITONAFIELDDEVELOPMENTINTHEUPPERSLOPEOF SOUTHWESTERNSABAH,MALAYSIA,OFFSHORENORTHWESTBORNEO HONGBOLU ShellExplorationandProductionCompany,HOUEPCA2020,150NorthDairyAshford,Houston, Texas77079,U.S.A. email:hongbo.lu@shell.com

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R.CRAIGSHIPP ShellInternationalExplorationandProductionIncorporated,200NorthDairyAshford,Houston, Texas77079,U.S.A. email:craig.shipp@shell.com ABSTRACT:OffshoreofnorthwestBorneo,theoccurrenceofdistinctsubmarinemassfailuresonthe uppercontinentalslopeposesasubstantialchallengetodeepwateroperationsfortheenergyindustry. Thesefeaturesarepartofacomplexofmasstransportdeposits(MTDs)thatoccurinthenearsurface intervalacrossmostoftheuppercontinentalslope,includingalargeareaundergoingfielddevelopment forhydrocarbonproduction.Inthestudyarea,theshallowestandmostprominentfeaturediscernible onconventional3DseismicdataisMTD1,whichhasaprofoundinfluenceonthepresentdayseafloor topography.Thisfeaturehasadistinctivefanlikeoutlineinplanview,amaximumstrikedimensionof approximately6mi(10km),adipextentupto24mi(40km),andamaximumthicknessupto570ft (176m).Thefanlikeexternalformandthepresenceofadiporientederosionalkeelsuggestthatthe depositionalprocesswasalesscoherentdebrisflow,withlittletonooriginalinternalstratigraphy preserved.Thelesscoherentnatureofthisfeatureisfurthersupportedbyakeyobservationthatthis MTDoverrananareaofsubstantialhighbathymetricrelief,whichislocatedintheareaconsideredfora fielddevelopment. LocallyoverlyingMTD1areaseriesofyoungernearseafloorfeatures,termedcanyontofairway corridorsthatdisplayaconfinedupdiptolessconfineddowndipplanviewmorphology.Theseunique featureslocallyerodeandsmooththerugosetopsurfaceofthenearsurfaceMTD1andcanbe interbeddedwiththelowerintervalsoftheusuallyoverlyingdrapedsediments.Developmentofthese latePleistocenecanyontofairwaycorridorssuggeststhatthesefeaturesprobablyformedduringa periodofsealevelfalloratalowstand.Ablanketofthreedistinctintervalsofdrapedsedimentscapthis entiresequence,composedmostlyofmuddyturbiditesgradingupwardintohemipelagicdeposits.The presenthummockyseafloortopographymimicstherugosetopsurfaceoftheshallowlyburiedMTD1, exceptalongitsnortheastlateralmarginandwheresmoothedbycanyontofairwaycorridors.Internally withinMTD1,physicalpropertiesprobablyvarysubstantiallybothlaterallyandvertically,because drapedsediments,turbidites,andoccasionalchannelizedsedimentswereincorporatedinthefailed matrixofthisfeature. Someofthegeohazards,potentiallyaffectingafielddevelopment,areadirectaresultoftheubiquitous occurrenceofMTD1inthestudyarea.Thesepotentialgeohazardsincludelocalsteepslopes,seafloor scarps,andvariablenearseafloorsoilconditions.Understandingtheimpactofeachofthesepotential geohazards,causedprimarilybythepresenceofMTD1,onafielddevelopmentisvitalinputfor selectionofproductionwellsitelocationsandplacementofsubseainfrastructure.

STRATALARCHITECTUREANDTEMPORALEVOLUTIONOFAPASSIVEMARGINMASSTRANSPORT DEPOSIT,NEOPROTEROZOICISAACFORMATION,CARIBOOMOUNTAINS,BRITISHCOLUMBIA,CANADA R.W.C.ARNOTT DepartmentofEarthSciences,UniversityofOttawa,140LouisPasteurPvt.,Ottawa,Ontario,K1N6N5, Canada email:warnott@uottawa.ca K.WALLACE DepartmentofEarthSciences,UniversityofOttawa,140LouisPasteurPvt.,Ottawa,Ontario,K1N6N5, Canada Presentaddress:ImperialOilLtd.,2374AvenueSW,Calgary,AlbertaT2P3M9,Canada

AND

J.LAURIN DepartmentofEarthSciences,UniversityofOttawa,140LouisPasteurPvt.,Ottawa,Ontario,K1N6N5, Canada ABSTRACT:DeepmarinestrataoftheWindermereSupergroup,whichcurrentlyareexposedinanarea over35,000km2inthesouthernCanadianCordillera,weredepositedonthepassivemarginof NeoproterozoicwesternNorthAmerica.IntheIsaacFormationattheCastleCreekstudyarea, stratigraphicevidenceofslopeinstabilityoccursasmassmovement(slumpandslide)andcohesive debrisflowdepositsthatcropoutlocallythroughthe1.5kmthicksuccession.Thesedepositsare particularlycommoninamasstransportdeposit(MTD)upto110mthickthatoccurssandwiched betweentwomajorchannelcomplexes.Interstratifiedwithinthesedepositsarecommoncoarse grainedchannelfillsthatpreferentiallyinfilledirregulartopographyontheseafloor.Inmanyinstances, thisirregulartopographywasmostprobablyrelatedtoearlieremplacementofdebrisflowandslump andslidedeposits.Importantstratigraphiccharacteristicsinthissuccessionsuggestthatthisparticular MTDrepresentsamajorchangeinthenatureofsedimentsupplyandtransportanddepositional processeswithinthebasin.Thesechangesareinterpretedtobecontrolledprincipallybychangesof relativesealevel,whichhadafirstordercontrolonsedimentsupply,sedimentcaliber,andsediment compositiontotheslopeandmoredistalbasinfloor.

SUBMARINEMASSTRANSPORTDEPOSITSOFTHEPERMIANCUTOFFFORMATION,WESTTEXAS,U.S.A.: INTERNALARCHITECTUREANDCONTROLSONOVERLYINGRESERVOIRSANDDEPOSITION

ROBERTAMERMAN DepartmentofGeologyandGeologicalEngineering,ColoradoSchoolofMines,1516IllinoisStreet, Golden,Colorado80401,U.S.A. Presentaddress:NobleEnergy,Inc.,1625Broadway,Suite2200,Denver,Colorado80202,U.S.A. email:ramerman@nobleenergyinc.com

ERICP.NELSON DepartmentofGeologyandGeologicalEngineering,ColoradoSchoolofMines,1516IllinoisStreet, Golden,Colorado80401,U.S.A. email:enelson@mines.edu

MICHAELH.GARDNER DepartmentofEarthSciences,MontanaStateUniversity,P.O.Box173480.Bozeman,Montana59717, U.S.A. email:mgardner@montana.edu

AND

BRUCETRUDGILL DepartmentofGeologyandGeologicalEngineering,ColoradoSchoolofMines,1516IllinoisStreet, Golden,Colorado80401,U.S.A. email:btrudgil@mines.edu

ABSTRACT:TheWilliamsRanchMemberoftheupperCutoffFormationintheGuadalupeandDelaware Mountains,westTexas,U.S.A.,consistsofsixofflappinglithologicunits.Thedepositsformedduring carbonateturbiditedepositionacrossadrownedEarlyPermiancarbonateplatform.Theyhaveanareal extentofmorethan20,000km2andreachamaximumthicknessofatleast113m.Attheterminal marginoftheolderplatform,thecarbonateturbiditeswerepartiallyredistributedbymasstransport events(MTEs)ontotheslopeandbasinfloor.Depositsformedduringindividualmasstransportevents (MTEbodies)comprisethebulkoftheWilliamsRanchMemberbasinwardfromthedrownedmarginfor atleast28kmalongatransectobliquetodepositionaldip.MTEbodiesareinterbeddedwith undeformedcarbonateturbiditesandcontainsoftsedimentfolds,faults,andextensionaland shorteninglineations,aswellasterminationsurfaces(bedsterminatedfromaboveand/orbelow). Turbiditedepositionandsubsequentmasstransportcausedgeneralbasinwardthickeningofthe WilliamsRanchMemberfromthedrownedmargin,wheretheCutoffFormationismissing,tothebasin floor.

Depositionrespondedto,andmodified,inheritedbathymetricrelief.Comparedtoisopachthins, isopachthicksformedinbathymetriclowsandlocallyformedbathymetrichighs.Isopachthickscontain moreundeformedstrataandshowmoresoftsedimentfolds.Theserelationshipssuggestbetter preservationofstratainstructurallycontrolledinheritedbathymetriclows.Ingeneral,MTEbodiesare preferentiallydepositedinthesepaleobathymetriclows.AminimumofsixverticallystackedMTEbodies arerecognizedinthemainstudyareawiththicknessesrangingfromlessthanonetotensofmeters. MTEbodiesshowageneralStoSSEpaleotransportdirection,withsignificantlocalvariation,reflecting eitherunderlyingbathymetricreliefand/ordifferentsourcelocations.RepeatedMTEsresultedina reductionoftheoverallbasingradientandcreatedlocalpositivebathymetry.Sandfairwaysandponded sheetdepositsintheoverlyingBrushyCanyonFormationarefocusedinbathymetriclows,andsands thinandonlapontobathymetrichighs.

MASSTRANSPORTDEPOSITSINTHEUPPERPALEOCENECHICONTEPECFORMATION,MEXICO STEPHENP.J.COSSEY CosseyandAssociatesInc.,P.O.Box1510,Durango,Colorado81302,U.S.A. email:cosseygeo@aol.com Abstract:ThePaleoceneandEoceneChicontepecFormationcropsoutalongthewesternmarginofthe TampicoMisantlabasin,locatedinnortheasternMexicointhestatesofVeracruz,Hidalgo,andSanLuis Potos.Thissuccessionrecordsdepositioninadeepmarine,forelandbasinbetweentheCretaceous GoldenLaneAtollandtheTertiarySierraMadreOriental.Inthenorthernpartofthisoutcropbelt,slope depositionisrecordedprimarilybydeformedandundeformedthinbeddedturbiditeswithoccasional sandrichlobes,channelfills,anddebrites.Sedimenttransportandslumpingdirectioninthisareawas totheeastandsoutheast.Theslumped,thinbeddedturbiditesshowthecompletespectrumof deformation,includingcoherentslumps,semicoherent,faulted,boudinaged,andchaoticslumps.More thanoneofthesetypesofslumpscanoccurinasingleoutcrop.Alltheslumpshaveextremelyflatupper surfaces,indicatingthatthetopsoftheslumpswereprobablyerodedduringsubsequentbypass sedimentation.Anunusual,flattoppedtoethrustisalsopreservedatoneoftheoutcrops.Alarge, spectacular26mthickdebritehasfaultingatitserosionalmargin,pressureridgesonitstop,andstrong evidencethatthedebrisflowdidnotcreatethevoidthatitoccupies. Thesespectacularoutcropsprovideauniqueopportunitytostudythedetailedinternalcharacteristics andallowevaluationofthereservoirqualityintermsofcontinuityandconnectivity.Evidencefrom theseoutcropsindicatesthatsubseismicscalecoherent,semicoherent,andfaultedslumpscanbe extremelycomplex,andhence,difficulttoidentifywithtypicaloilindustrytechnology,suchas3D seismic,core,andimagelogs.

HETEROGENEITYOFINTERNALSTRUCTURESINAMASSTRANSPORTDEPOSIT,UPPERCRETACEOUSTO PALEOCENEAKKESHIFORMATION,HOKKAIDOISLAND,NORTHERNJAPAN HAJIMENARUSE DivisionofEarthandPlanetaryScience,GraduateSchoolofScience,KyotoUniversity, Kitashirakawaoiwakecho,Sakyoku,Kyoto6068502,Japan Presentaddress:DepartmentofEarthSciences,FacultyofScience,ChibaUniversity, 133Yayoicho,Inageku,Chiba2638522,Japan email:naruse@faculty.chibau.jp

AND

MAKOTOOTSUBO ResearchCenterforDeepGeologicalEnvironments,NationalInstituteofAdvancedIndustrialScienceand Technology,TsukubaCentral7,11,Higashi1Chome,Tsukubashi,Ibarakiken,3058567Japan email:otsubom@aist.go.jp ABSTRACT:Analysisofadeepseamasstransportdepositexposedasanearly1.6kmcontinuous outcroprevealsheterogeneousinternalstructuresandexistenceofacompressionalstressfieldduring transportationanddeposition.Depositofgravellymudstone,containinglargedeformedsedimentary blocks(longaxisfromtensofcentimetersupto100m),occursintheUpperCretaceous(Maastrichtian) toPaleoceneAkkeshiFormation,HokkaidoIsland,northernJapan.Theoutcropwasphotographedand sketched,andclastsizesweremeasuredtostudyquantitativelytheinternalstructureofthismass transportdeposit.Thesizedistributionofsedimentaryblocksexhibitsapowerlawdistribution,but meansizeandconcentrationofblocksexhibithighlyvariable,localfluctuations. Thismasstransportexposureexhibitsthreefacies,basedonsizeandspatialarrangementof accumulatedblocks.FaciesAconsistsofrelativelysmallblocks(longaxesapproximately1to10m), supportedbyagravellymudstonematrix.FaciesBconsistsofclastsupportedmoderateblocks(long axes<30m).Generally,blocksinFaciesBaredeformedsignificantly.FaciesCcomprisesmainlylarge blockswithlongaxesupto100m.ConsideringtheevidenceofturbiditesinblocksofFaciesC,these blocksnotonlyslidbutalsorotatedbothhorizontallyandvertically.Insomecases,originalstratigraphy foundwithintheseblocksisinverted.FaciesAandBalternatedowncurrent,whileFaciesCoccursonly atthemoredistalendoftheexposure. Usually,longaxesofblocksareorientedparalleltothebeddingsurface,suggestingalaminarstateof flow.Inaddition,applicationofthemultipleinversemethodtomesoscalefaultsobservedintheblocks revealspossibleinternalpaleostressfieldsthatexistedbeforedeposition.Thisanalysissuggestedtwo differentstressfields:(1)auniaxialcompressionalstressfield,wherethe1axisisorientednormalto beddingsurface,and(2)atriaxialcompressionalstressfield,wherethe1axisisorientedparalleltothe paleocurrentdirection.Thismasstransportdepositapparentlyexperiencedthefirststressfieldwhenit moveddownslope,therebyexpandingitssurfacearea.Itthenexperiencedthesecondstressfieldasit decelerated,becauseofcompressionparalleltopaleocurrentdirection.Aheterogeneousnatureof internalstructuresandcompressionalstressfieldsappeartobecommonfeaturesofmasstransport faciesofdeposits.

MASSTRANSPORTDEPOSITS:COMBININGOUTCROPSTUDIESANDSEISMICFORWARDMODELINGTO UNDERSTANDLITHOFACIESDISTRIBUTIONS,DEFORMATION,ANDTHEIRSEISMICSTRATIGRAPHIC EXPRESSION

MASONDYKSTRA DepartmentofGeologyandGeologicalEngineering,ColoradoSchoolofMines,1615IllinoisSt.,Golden, Colorado80401,U.S.A. email:mdykstra@mines.edu

KATERINAGARYFALOU DepartmentofGeologyandPetroleumGeology,UniversityofAberdeen,AberdeenAB243UE, Scotland,U.K. email:k.garyfalou@abdn.ac.uk

VANESSAKERTZNUS DepartmentofGeologyandPetroleumGeology,UniversityofAberdeen,AberdeenAB243UE, Scotland,U.K. Currentaddress:ShellExplorationNewVenturesandBusinessDevelopment,ShellInternational ExplorationandProduction,Inc.,150DairyAshford,Houston,Texas77079,U.S.A. email:vanessa.kertznus@shell.com

BENKNELLER DepartmentofGeologyandPetroleumGeology,UniversityofAberdeen,AberdeenAB243UE, Scotland,U.K. email:b.kneller@abdn.ac.uk

JUANPABLOMILANA CONICETandInstitutodeGeologa,UniversidadNacionaldeSanJuan,Ave.I.delaRozayMeglioli,5400 SanJuan,Argentina email:jpmilana@gmail.com

MATTEOMOLINARO ShellInternationalExplorationandProductionB.V.,Rijswijk,TheNetherlands email:Matteo.Molinaro@Shell.com

MAGDALENASZUMANANDPHILIPTHOMPSON DepartmentofGeologyandPetroleumGeology,UniversityofAberdeen,AberdeenAB243UE, Scotland,U.K. email:m.szuman@abdn.ac.uk;p.thompson@abdn.ac.uk

ABSTRACT:Masstransportdepositsmayactasbarriersorbafflestofluidflowinthesubsurface,ormay conductfluidsviainternalstructuresorlithologicalconnectivity.Conventionalseismicandboreholedata presentradicallydifferentscalesofobservationtoassessthelikelyfluidflowbehaviorofmasstransport deposits.Seismicscaleoutcropsandhighresolutionseismicdatabridgethisscalegap.Exceptional outcropsoflargemasstransportdepositsareusedtodevelopstrategiestorelatecoreandseismic scaleobservationsforthepurposesofsubsurfacepredictionofreservoir,baffle,orsealpotential,and forpredictionoffluidflowthroughmasstransportdepositsinthesubsurface.Wepresentherean outlineofourapproach,andsomepreliminaryresultsbasedontwosystemsofcontrastingstyles.Oneis a>120mthickdebriteofCarboniferousageinnorthwestArgentina;theotherisanapproximately300 mthickslidecomplexofJurassicCretaceousageinAntarctica.Differencesinthesetwosystemsare

assessedbyevaluatingtheinternalstructureandseismicexpressionofthedeposits,basedonforward modelingoftheoutcroparchitecture.Topographyonthetopsurfaceofmasstransportdepositsis definedbyverylocalized(afewmeterswavelengthandamplitude),localized(afewtensofmeters wavelength,afewmetersto~10mamplitude),andsubregional(kilometersinwavelength,tensof metersinamplitude)pondingorpartialconfinementofturbiditebedsimmediatelyabovethemass transportdeposits.Strainhistoriesandstraindistributionsarecomplexandvariablewithindeposits, implyingthatinferencesbasedonlimitedwelldataarelikelytoyieldincorrectconclusionsregarding directionofmovementandslopeorientation.Thisobservationisclearlyillustratedbythenoncoaxial deformation,whichisvisibleinhighresolutionseismicdata.

OUTCROPANDSEISMICEXAMPLESOFMASSTRANSPORTDEPOSITSFROMALATEMIOCENEDEEP WATERSUCCESSION,TARANAKIBASIN,NEWZEALAND

PETERR.KING GNSScience,P.O.Box30368,LowerHutt,NewZealand email:p.king@gns.cri.nz

BRADLEYR.ILG GNSScience,P.O.Box30368,LowerHutt,NewZealand Presentaddress:CrownMinerals,MinistryofEconomicDevelopment,P.O.Box1473,Wellington6140, NewZealand

MALCOLMARNOTANDGREGH.BROWNE GNSScience,P.O.Box30368,LowerHutt,NewZealand

LORNAJ.STRACHAN SchoolofEarth,Atmospheric,andEnvironmentalSciences,TheUniversityofManchester,United Kingdom Presentaddress:UniversityofAuckland,PB92019,AucklandMailCentre1142,NewZealand

MARTINCRUNDWELL GNSScience,P.O.Box30368,LowerHutt,NewZealand

AND

KRISTIANHELLE DepartmentofEarthSciences,UniversityofBergen,Bergen,Norway Presentaddress:StatoilHydro,ResearchCentre,Sandsliveien90,Bergen,Norway

ABSTRACT:InnorthTaranaki,NewZealand,spectacularexamplesofdeepwatermasstransport deposits(MTDs)areexposedincoastalcliffsandimagedinnearbyoffshoreseismicreflectiondata.The MTDsareLateMiocene(Tortonian)inage,andliewithinsuccessivelyoverlyingsuccessionsof volcaniclasticsandstonedominatedbasinfloorturbidites(MohakatinoFormation),epiclasticsandstone andsiltstonedominatedbasinfloorturbidites(MountMessengerFormation),andsiltstonedominated slopedeposits(UrenuiFormation).

SeismicscaleMTDsareexposednorthofAwakinoRiverandalsobetweentheMohakatinoand Tongaporuturivermouths.TheseMTDsincorporatearangeoforiginaldeepwaterlithofaciesthat subsequentlyhavebeendramaticallydeformedintohighlychaoticpackagesduringreemplacementin midbathyaltolowerbathyalwaterdepthsneartoorbeyondthebaseofslope.Theredoesnotappear tobeanystratigraphicorlithologiccontrolonthetypesofbedsincorporatedintotheseparticular MTDs,andthedeformedstrataarepotentiallyderivedfromseveraloriginalsubmarinefandepositional units.

TheseseismicscaleMTDsareinplacesatleast50mthickandappeartoextendforafewkilometers, althoughlateralstratigraphiccorrelationismadedifficultbythecomplexMTDdeformationandby postdepositionalnormalfaulting.ItispossiblethattwodifferentMTDsarerepresentedintheoutcrop sectionbetweenMohakatinoandTongaporutu,andtogethertheymayformalargercompositeMTDor masstransportcomplex.

AtleasttwolargeMTDsuccessionsarerevealedonseismicreflectionprofileslocatedoffshore, relativelyneartothecoastaloutcropsection.Theyextendforseveraltensofkilometersinlength,and areupto330m(250mstwowaytraveltime(TWTT)thick.TheseMTDsareinapproximatelythesame stratigraphicintervalasthoseinoutcrop(MohakatinoandlowerMountMessengerFormations).At leastoneoftheseMTDsextrapolatesupstructuraldiptowhereanMTDisexposedonshore,butan absolutecorrelationbetweenthetwoMTDsisprecludedbythelackofseismicdataintheintervening coastaltransitionzone.MTDintervalsequivalenttothoseexposedarealsoimagedinhighresolution behindoutcropseismicreflectionlines,andarerecordedbyanomalousbiostratigraphicsignaturesin thenearbyPukearuhe1explorationwell.

SiltstonedominatedMTDsofsubseismicscale(upto15mthick)areevidentincentralpartsofthe outcropsection,withinfinegrainedintervalsnearthetopsofinnerfandepositionalcycles.Theyare alsopresentinsouthernpartsofthesection(retrogradationalandprogradationalslope),withinfine grainedintervalsthatliestratigraphicallyclosebeneathincisedslopechannelsinfilledwithsandstone. WhilsttheseMTDsareonly515mthick,theycouldthickenawayfromtheoutcroptransect.

ThemagnitudeandstylesofdeformationwithinthevariousexposedMTDsmayreflectdiffering transportationprocessesortriggeringmechanisms.Thelarger,seismicscaleMTDsappeartobethe productofmassiveslopefailureanddownslopetranslationofstrata,orrelativelylocaltectonic movementoftheseabed.TheorderedstratigraphicpositionofthesubseismicscaleMTDsnearthe topsofinferreddepositionalcyclessuggeststhatchangesinrelativebaselevelmayhavecontrolled theirdevelopment.

MASSTRANSPORTDEPOSITSOFTHEDEEPWATERNORTHWESTERNBORNEOMARGIN CHARACTERIZATIONFROMSEISMICREFLECTION,BOREHOLE,ANDCOREDATAWITHIMPLICATIONSFOR HYDROCARBONEXPLORATIONANDEXPLOITATION

SAMALGAR MurphyExplorationandProductionCo.,16290KatyFreeway,Suite600,Houston,Texas77094,U.S.A. email:sam_algar@murphyoilcorp.com

CHRISMILTONANDHYWELUPSHALL MurphySabahOilCo.Ltd.,Level26,Tower2,PetronasTwinTowers, KualaLumpurCityCentre,KualaLumpur,50088,Malaysia

JONROESTENBURG GeotransformationsPtyLtd.,19AdelaideCrescent,HelenaValley,WesternAustralia,6056,Australia

AND

PAULCREVELLO BPCLimited,28CumberlandSt.,Nassau,N1991,TheBahamas

ABSTRACT:AregionalstudyofdeepwaternorthwestBorneoindicatesthatwithintheLateMioceneto Recentdeepwaterthrustbelt,upto50%ofthesedimentscompriselargescale,remobilizedunits interpretedasmasstransportdeposits(MTDs).Morethan6000km2of3Dseismicdata,20exploration andappraisalwells,andmorethan600mofcorewereexaminedaspartofthisintegratedstudy.The MTDsare10to200mthick,andarecomposedpredominantlyofclaystone,thoughsubordinatesands andsiltstonesarepresent.IntercalatedwiththeMTDsareturbidites,whichformsandstonereservoirs ofthepetroleumdiscoveriesfoundinthearea.Intriguingly,thethickestsandsareoftenfound immediatelyoverlyingtheMTDs,andthereisevidencetosuggestthatthetopographyontopofthe MTDmayinfluencesanddistribution.ThereisalsoseismicstratigraphicevidencesuggestingthatMTDs maybelocallyerosiveandcouldalsoformlateralandverticalsealsandevencontainsourcerocks.In thestudyarea,coreandboreholeimagelogsarethemostreliabledatatypestoidentifytheMTDs, althoughtheovercompactionoftheMTDsoftenmeansthatsimpleboreholedensity,sonic,and resistivitylogscanalsobeused.AvarietyofMTDlithofaciesindicateacontinuumfromdebritic claystoneswithextremelyvariable,incoherent,diparchitecturesintheimagelogstomoresimply foldedclaystones,whichhavemorecoherentdips.OvercompactionoftheMTDsrelativetothe overlyingandunderlyingturbiditesoftencreatesanimpedancecontrastthatcanbemistakenforthatof asandstoneclaystoneinterfaceintheturbidites.Hence,seismicinterpretationinareaswithMTDsis morechallengingandpotentiallymisleadingthaninareaswithoutMTDs.

LITHOFACIESANALYSISANDSTRATIGRAPHICARCHITECTUREOFADEEPWATERCARBONATEDEBRIS APRON:LOWERCRETACEOUS(LATESTAPTIANTOLATESTALBIAN)TAMABRAFORMATION,POZARICA FIELDAREA,MEXICO

ROBERTG.LOUCKS BureauofEconomicGeology,JohnA.andKatherineG.JacksonSchoolofGeosciences, TheUniversityofTexasatAustin,Austin,Texas787138924,U.S.A. email:bob.loucks@beg.utexas.edu

CHARLESKERANS DepartmentofGeologicalSciences,JohnA.andKatherineG.JacksonSchoolofGeosciences, UniversityStationC1100,TheUniversityofTexasatAustin,Austin,Texas787120254,U.S.A. email:ckerans@mail.utexas.edu

XAVIERJANSON BureauofEconomicGeology,JohnA.andKatherineG.JacksonSchoolofGeosciences, TheUniversityofTexasatAustin,Austin,Texas787138924,U.S.A. email:xavier.janson@beg.utexas.edu

AND

M.ALFREDOMARHXROJANO PEMEXProductionandExplorationCompanyofMexico email:mamarhxr@pep.pemex.com

ABSTRACT:Deepwatercarbonatedebrisapronsadjacenttoshallowwaterplatformsarecomplex depositionalfeaturesthatareproducedbydensityflowandsuspensionprocesses.Sedimentissupplied fromtheplatformmarginandfrombiotalivingintheshallowerpartoftheopensea.TheLower Cretaceous(latestAptiantolatestAlbian)TamabraFormationinthePozaRicafieldareaofeastern MexicoisadebrisaprondepositedadjacenttothewesternsideoftheTuxpanPlatformineastcentral Mexico.Itsstratalarchitectureiswelldefinedby3Dseismic,cores,andwirelinelogdata,allowing analysisofdepositionalprocessesthatcreatedthelithofaciesandsequencestratigraphiccontrolson depositionalarchitectureandpatterns.WithintheTamabradebrisapron,anorderlypatternof depositionalunitsreflectsthecontrolofrelativesealevelchangesontheavailabilityofsourcematerial andtypesofdensityflowsgenerated.Thickintervalsofdebrisflowandmudflowdeposits,composedof platformandslopederivedcarbonatemuds,skeletalgrains,andclasts,areinterpretedasbeing depositedduringsealevellowstandsandtransgressionsorduringearlyhighstandswhentheplatform wasrapidlyaggrading,whereasthickintervalsofhyperconcentratedtoconcentrateddensityflowand turbiditedeposits,composedofskeletalsands,areinterpretedashavingbeendepositedwhenthe platformwasfloodedandsheddingduringhighstandsofsealevel.TheTamabradebrisapronisan excellentanalogforcomparingwithothercarbonatedebrisapronsandforuseindecipheringother debrisapronshavingpoordatacontrol.

RESERVOIRCHARACTERIZATIONOFSANDPRONEMASSTRANSPORTDEPOSITSWITHINSLOPECANYONS

LAWRENCED.MECKEL,III WoodsideEnergyLtd.,Perth,WesternAustralia,Australia Presentaddrsss:TatelyN.V.,PlazaBapindo,MandiriTower,21st.Floor,Suite2102, Jln.Jend.SudirmanKav.5455,Jakarta12190,Indonesia email:trey.meckel@tately.co.id

MATTHEWANGELATOS WoodsideEnergyLtd.,Perth,WesternAustralia Presentaddress:PetroleumDevelopmentOman,P.O.Box81,PostCode100,MinaAlFahalMuscat, SultanateofOman

JOSBONNIE ShellInternationalExplorationandProduction,Perth,WesternAustralia Presentaddress:SakhalinEnergyInvestmentCompany,SferaOfficeBuilding,78ChekhovStreet, YuzhnoSakhalinsk693008,RussianFederation

RODERICKMCGARVA TASKGeoscienceLtd.,UnitF11,ExplorationHouse,AberdeenScience&EnergyPark, BridgeofDon,Aberdeen,AB238GX,U.K.

TONYALMOND WoodsideEnergyLtd.,Perth,WesternAustralia Presentaddress:WoodsideEnergy(U.S.A.),Inc.,5151SanFelipe,Suite1200,Houston,Texas77056, U.S.A.

NEILMARSHALL WoodsideEnergyLtd.,WoodsidePlaza,240St.GeorgesTerrace,Perth,WesternAustralia,Australia 6000

LAURENTBOURDON ShellInternationalExplorationandProduction,Perth,WesternAustralia Presentaddress:ShellDevelopment(Australia)ProprietaryLimited,QV1Building, 250St.GeorgesTerrace,PerthWA6000,Australia

AND

KARENAURISCH WoodsideEnergyLtd.,Perth,WesternAustralia Presentaddress:OriginEnergyLtd,Level2,SouthTower,JohnOxleyCentre, 339CoronationDrive,Milton,Queensland,Australia4064

ABSTRACT:Oilandgasbearingsandsoccuratmultiplestratigraphiclevelswithinthefillofan unidentifiedmidslopesubmarinecanyon.Sandtoshaleratioofthecanyonfillisapproximately15% (calibratedtoanaveragegrossthicknessof~200m),basedonseismicandwellcontrol.Individualsand proneintervals,whichvaryinthicknessfrom1to25m,canhaveexcellentreservoirproperties(average nettogrossfrombasesandtotopsandof~70%;averageporosity~30%;averagepermeability~1500 mD).Onseismicdisplays,sandshavepodortongueshapedgeometriesinplanview,withlinearto curvilinearinternaldiscontinuities.Sandsdisplayabacksteppingarchitecture,althoughthereisadegree ofverticaloverlapandcompensationalstacking.Sinuouschannelformgeometries,whichcharacterize

reservoirsinmanyslopecanyons,arenotevident.Seismiccrosssectionsshowthatsands,visualizedas singleseismicloops,haveflatbasesandrugosetops,andoccuraboveacharacteristicallychaotic,low amplitudeseismicfacies.Welllogsandwholerockcoresovereachofthesethreereservoirprone intervalsindicatethatthereisapreferredfaciesassociation.Thisassociationisamuddydebrite (correspondingtothechaoticseismicfacies)overlainbymassivesandsandcompositesandyand/or mixedlithologybreccias,inturnoverlainbythinbeddedturbidites,culminatinginthinbedded hemipelagicsediments.Conglomeratespunctuatethestratigraphiccolumnbutaremostprevalentin thelowermostpartofthesuccession.

RESERVOIRCHARACTERISTICSANDCLASSIFICATIONOFSANDPRONESUBMARINEMASSTRANSPORT DEPOSITS LAWRENCED.MECKEL,III WoodsideEnergyLtd.,Perth,WesternAustralia,Australia presentaddrsss:TatelyN.V.,PlazaBapindo,MandiriTower,21st.Floor,Suite2102, Jln.Jend.SudirmanKav.5455,Jakarta12190,Indonesia email:trey.meckel@tately.co.id ABSTRACT:Masstransportdepositsareremobilizedsedimentarysuccessionsthatarecommoninthe deepwaterstratigraphicrecord.Becausemasstransportdepositsaretypicallymudprone,fewindustry geoscientistsconsidersandpronemasstransportdepositstomeritsignificantattention.However, recentstudiesconfirmthatmasstransportdepositscanactassignificantreservoirsinoilandgasfields. Furthermore,thesefeaturescanalsorepresentgeohazardsthatwarrantconsiderationindeepwater drillingprograms.Identifyingandcharacterizingsuchdepositsaccuratelyinthesubsurfaceallowsbetter understandingoftheirspatialcontinuity,predictionofreservoirperformance,andgenerationofmodels withrepresentativerockpropertiesawayfromcontrolpoints.Theseimplicationsareespecially importantgiveneverincreasingcostsassociatedwiththedevelopmentofdeepwaterfields.Moreover, thisunderappreciatedplaytypeprovidesunderexploredgreenfieldandbrownfieldpotentialinmany continentalslopetrends. Thispaperusespersonalobservations,aswellaspublishedexamplesfromproducingfields,theseafloor andshallowsubsurface,outcrops,andflumetankexperimentstoillustratespecificcriteriathataidin therecognitionofsandpronemasstransportdepositsinthesubsurface.Noneofthesecriteriais sufficientbyitselftodistinguishbetweenamasstransportdepositandaturbiditesystem;however,in aggregate,thesecriteriaaresufficientlydiagnostictoidentifymasstransportdepositsthatarelikelyto bereservoirprone.Specifically,masstransportdepositscanbedifferentiatedfromturbiditesbyseismic morphology,corescalesandbodyarchitecture,andpetrophysicalproperties,whilesandpronemass transportdepositscanbedifferentiatedfrommorecommonmudpronemasstransportdepositsby relativesize,associatedverticalfaciesassemblages,andwelldata.

DEFORMATIONVERSUSDEPOSITIONOFSEDIMENTWAVESINTHEBISMARCKSEA,PAPUANEWGUINEA

GARYHOFFMANN EarthSciencesDept.,UniversityofCalifornia,SantaCruz,California95064,U.S.A. email:garyh@pmc.ucsc.edu

ELISILVER EarthSciencesDept.,UniversityofCalifornia,SantaCruz,California95064,U.S.A. email:esilver@pmc.ucsc.edu

SIMONDAY AonBenfieldHazardResearchCentre,DepartmentofEarthSciences,UniversityCollegeLondon, GowerStreet,LondonWC1E6BT,U.K. email:simonday_ucl@yahoo.co.uk

NEALDRISCOLL ScrippsInstitutionofOceanography,LaJolla,California92093,U.S.A. email:ndriscoll@ucsd.edu

AND

DANIELORANGE AOAGeophysics,Castroville,California95012,U.S.A. Currentaddress:BlackGoldEnergyLLC,JalanKemangTimur#22,PlazaCityView5thFloor,Kemang, Jakarta12510Indonesia email:dorange@nikoindonesia.com

ABSTRACT:WeexaminefourfieldsofundulatingsedimentintheBismarckVolcanicArc,PapuaNew Guinea,toassesscausalmechanisms.Thepossiblemechanismsincludedeformation,episodicturbidity currents,andcontinuousbottomcurrents.Twoofthefields,oneoffthecoastofDakatauacalderaand oneinKimbeBay,displayanarcuateandirregularmorphologysimilartooneanotherinmultibeam imagery.Insidescanimagery,eachofthesefieldsisproximallyassociatedwithdownslopescour featuresandotherevidenceofturbiditycurrentactivity.Thereisnoevidenceofsignificantbottom currentactivityintheseregions.Wesuggestthatthesetwofieldswereformedbyacombinationof extensionaldeformationandrepeatedturbiditycurrents,basedonaquantitativeanalysisoftheir morphologiesandtheevidenceforturbiditycurrentsineachlocation.Inparticular,theKimbeBayand Dakatauafieldsaremorphologicallydistinctfromafieldofturbiditycurrentsedimentwavesmapped nearbyinHixonBay(TorkoroTroughfield).AlsoinHixonBay,anirregulardepressionnorthofLolobau Islandthatmaybeaslidescarappearstohaveprovidedtheinitialtopographyforasmallturbidity currentsedimentwavefieldgrowingwithinit.Althoughflowsthatformedthesedimentwavefieldsin thestudyareaarenotspecificallydefinedasmasstransportprocesses,theprocessesthat preconditionedallofthesefieldsitesforsubsequentsedimentwaveformationclearlyare.Inthe DakatauaandKimbeBayfields,themasstransportprocessofsedimentcreepinconjunctionwith turbiditycurrentsisthenecessarycombinationofmechanismstogeneratethemorphologyofthe sedimentwavesobserved.LikewiseintheHixonBayfields,aslidescarexhumedbyanearlierextensive massfailureeventwasrequiredtocreatethenecessaryseafloormorphologytoappropriatelyfunnel thesubsequentsedimentwaveformingturbiditycurrents.

BIOSTRATIGRAPHYOFANUPPERMIOCENEMASSTRANSPORTDEPOSITONDEMERARARISE, NORTHERNSOUTHAMERICANMARGIN

WESLEYC.INGRAM DepartmentofGeologicalSciences,FloridaStateUniversity,Tallahassee,Florida323064100,U.S.A. Presentaddress:DevonEnergyCorporation,20NorthBroadway,OklahomaCity, Oklahoma731028260,U.S.A. email:wesley.ingram@dvn.com

DAVIDC.MOSHER NaturalResourcesCanada,BedfordInstituteofOceanography,Dartmouth, NovaScotiaB2Y4A2,Canada email:dmosher@nrcan.gc.ca

AND

SHERWOODW.WISE,JR. DepartmentofGeologicalSciences,FloridaStateUniversity,Tallahassee,Florida323064100,U.S.A. email:wise@gly.fsu.edu

ABSTRACT:TheDemeraraRiseisadeepwaterplateausituatedoffthecoastofSouthAmericainthe equatorialAtlantic.Itsgeographicpositionmakesitssedimentaryrecordadesirabletargetto investigatetectonicandpaleoceanographicsignalsintheAtlanticOcean.Numerousmasstransport deposits(MTDs)wereinterpretedfromseismicreflectionprofilesontheouterreachesoftheplateau. OnesuchMTDwasdrilledandsampledduringOceanDrillingProgramLeg207,Site1261.ThisMTD overliesaregionallycorrelatedmiddletolateMioceneunconformitythatresultedfromextensive erosionthatcausedremovalofupto220mofsedimentdowntoEocenestrata.Calcareousnannofossils wereanalyzedtodeterminetheageofthe59mthickMTDlithologicallydescribedasslope conglomerate.Itsageandcorrespondingstratigraphicsequenceareusedtoinferpossiblecausative factorsinitsemplacement. Theslopeconglomeratecontainshighlycoloredsandycarbonateclastsandsiltysandyturbiditerocks supportedinanannofossilrichhemipelagicclaystonematrix.ThecarbonateclastsareearlyMiocene (nannofossilZoneNN4),andtheclaystonematrixislateMiocene(SubzoneNN11b)inage;stratigraphic relationshipsplacetheslopeconglomeratesequencewithinnannofossilSubzoneNN11b(7.25.5Ma).A normallistricgrowthfaultislocated5kmupslopeofthedrillsite.Thesestratigraphicandstructural relationshipssuggestcausativemechanismsforsedimentmassfailureandgenerationoftheMTDs. Theageofthestudiedslopeconglomerateprovidesanupperagelimit(7.2Ma)fortheregional Mioceneunconformity.TheunconformitycorrelatesintimewithdeepeningofFramStraitoff Greenland,shoalingoftheIsthmusofPanama,andestablishmentofpolarglaciations.Thesechanges resultedinintensificationofbottomwatercurrentsandenhancedupwellingalongcontinentalmargins throughouttheAtlantic.Thiscurrentintensificationpossiblyledtoincreasederosionandgenerationof locallysteepslopesalongtheflanksofDemeraraRise.Probableseismicactivity,asindicatedbythe proximalshallowfault,initiatedsedimentmassfailureandemplacementofthestudiedconglomerate. SimilarerosionandmasstransportactivityisreportedthroughouttheAtlanticduringthisperiodof time,indicatingtheimportanceofthesepaleoceanographicchangestocontinentalmargin development.

PROPERTIESOFMASSTRANSPORTDEPOSITSASINFERREDFROMDYNAMICMODELINGOF SUBAQUEOUSMASSWASTING:ASHORTREVIEW

FABIOV.DEBLASIO DepartmentofGeosciences,UniversityofOslo,P.O.Box1047,Blindern,N0316Oslo,Norway email:f.v.d.blasio@geo.uio.no

AND

ANDERSELVERHI InternationalCentreforGeohazards,NorwegianGeotechnicalInstitute,P.O.Box3930,UllevlStadion, N0806Oslo,Norway email:anders.elverhoi@geo.uio.no

Abstract:Wediscussrecentattemptstoinvestigatesomefeaturesofmasstransportdeposits(MTDs) fromadynamicandnumericalmodelingviewpoint.Weselectedsomestudyexamples,suchasthe problemofthelargemobilityofsubmarinemasswasting,emplacementoferraticblocks,andpossible changeofrheologicpropertiesduringflow.Somelubricationmechanismsareneededtoexplain mobilityofsubmarineslides,andinthisrespectwediscusshydroplaningandshearwettingmodels.We showthathydroplaningcouldexplainseveralfeaturesofsmall,cohesivedebrisflowssuchasthe FinneidfjordlandslideinNorway,andemplacementofoutrunnerblocksintheNigerianbasinorthe FaeroeIslands.However,largersubmarineslidesusuallyscourtheseabottomandneedamuchhigher velocitytohydroplane.Forthisreason,additionalmechanismsmustbeinvokedtoexplaindynamicsof thelargestsubmarineslides.InrelationtothegiantStoreggaslideoffNorway,wediscusspossible effectofthehighshearratesduetofrictionwithambientwateronthesurfaceofasubmarineslide. Thismayresultinstrengthlossofsedimentsandremolding,withconsequentincreaseinmobility.At times,amobiledebrisflowmayrafthugeblocksalongitspath,providingafurtherclueastovelocity, impactforces,andblockresistance.Inthisrespect,wediscussacoupleofexamplesfromtheArcticSea andtheBalearicBasin.Wearguethatabetterunderstandingofgeometryandsedimentologic characteristicsofMTDswillrequiremorededicatedstudiesonsubmarineslidedynamicsinthe subaqueousenvironment.Inturn,thisshouldbeachievedwithanintegratedapproachbetweenfield data,experimentalactivity,andnumericalsimulations.

HINLOPENYERMAKLANDSLIDE,ARCTICOCEANGEOMORPHOLOGY,LANDSLIDEDYNAMICS,AND TSUNAMISIMULATIONS

MAARTENVANNESTE NGIInternationalCentreforGeohazards(ICG),P.O.Box3930,UllevlStadion,N0806Oslo,Norway email:maarten.vanneste@ngi.no

CARLB.HARBITZ NGIInternationalCentreforGeohazards(ICG),P.O.Box3930,UllevlStadion,N0806Oslo,Norway

FABIOV.DEBLASIO DepartmentofGeosciences,UniversityofOsloInternationalCentreforGeohazards(ICG), P.O.Box1053Blindern,N0316Oslo,Norway

SYLFESTGLIMSDAL NGIInternationalCentreforGeohazards(ICG),P.O.Box3930,UllevlStadion,N0806Oslo,Norway

JRGENMIENERT DepartmentofGeology,UniversityofTroms,Dramsveien201,N9037Troms,Norway

AND

ANDERSELVERHI DepartmentofGeosciences,UniversityofOsloInternationalCentreforGeohazards(ICG), P.O.Box1053Blindern,N0316Oslo,Norway

ABSTRACT:SwathbathymetrydatafromtheglacierfednorthernSvalbardmarginreveal geomorphologicaldetailsofalargesubmarinelandslide,theHinlopeYermakLandslide.Multipleplanar escarpmentshaveseveralhundredsofmetersofrelief,withamaximumheadwallheightexceeding 1400matthemouthoftheHinlopencrossshelfTrough.Withintheslidescararea,thislandslide createdarugoseseabedgeomorphology,withlittlemasstransportdepositionintheimmediatevicinity ofmajorescarpments.Beyondapronouncedconstriction,occurrenceofsemitransparentacousticunits onseismicprofilesindicatesthatmasstransportdepositsarelikelytheaccumulationofremolded and/orfluidizeddebrisflowsthatareinplaceshundredsofmetersthick.Thesurfaceexpressionofthe masstransportdepositsishummockywithflowstructures,arcuatepressureridges,andraftedblocks. Smallerdebrislobesclosetolandslidesidewallsaretheresultofsecondary,marginalfailures.Atthe outerrimofextensivemasstransportdeposits,numerousraftedblocksrisefromthesemitransparent sedimentunit,andtowerhundredsofmetersabovethesurroundingdebris.Maximumremobilized volumefromtheslidescararea,estimatedfromprelandslidebathymetricreconstruction,is approximately1350km3.Headwallheights,theratioofexcavatedvolumeandslidescararea,andthe heightofraftedblocksarelarge,comparedtootherlandslidesdocumentedonsiliciclasticmargins. Theposition,thickness,andshapeofthemasstransportdepositsillustratehighmobilityofsediments involvedinsubmarinelandsliding.Theirdimensionsrequirenumericalmodelingtounderstandlandslide dynamicsandpotentialtogeneratetsunamis.Insimulationsofsedimentdynamics,largeblocksare raftedbyaloosedebrisflow,derivedfromdisintegratinglandslidematerialintheheadwallarea.The mainfailureprocessfinishesafterapproximately1hour.Theupperslidescarisprobablynotthesource areaforlargeraftedblocks.

TheHinlopenYermaklandslidemostlikelycreatedasignificanttsunami,consideringthatremobilized sedimentvolume,initialacceleration,maximumvelocity,andpossibleretrogressivedevelopment governlandslidegeneratedtsunamis.Steepwaves,implyingdispersiveandnonlineareffects,probably weremorepronouncedthanformostothertsunamisinducedbysubmarinelandslides.Thesefeatures existbecauseofthecombinationofhighspeedandsubstantialthicknessofmasstransport.Propagation andcoastalimpactofthetsunamiissimulatedbyaweaklynonlinearanddispersiveBoussinesqmodel. Closetothelandslidearea,simulationsreturnseasurfaceelevationsexceeding130m,whereassea surfaceelevationsalongcoastsofSvalbardandGreenlandareontheorderoftensofmeters.

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