Submarine landslides triggered by destabilization of high-saturation hydrate anomalies: LANDSLIDES CAUSED BY HYDRATE ANOMALIES

Handwerger, Alexander L.; Rempel, Alan W.; Skarbek, Rob M.

doi:10.1002/2016gc006706

Submarine landslides triggered by destabilization of high-saturation hydrate anomalies: LANDSLIDES CAUSED BY HYDRATE ANOMALIES

Journal Article · Tue May 30 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2016gc006706· OSTI ID:1532978

^[1]; Rempel, Alan W. ^[2]; ^[2]

Univ. of Oregon, Eugene, OR (United States); DOE/OSTI
Univ. of Oregon, Eugene, OR (United States)

Submarine landslides occur along continental margins at depths that often intersect the gas hydrate stability zone, prompting suggestions that slope stability may be affected by perturbations that arise from changes in hydrate stability. Here we develop a numerical model to identify the conditions under which the destabilization of hydrates results in slope failure. Specifically, we focus on high-saturation hydrate anomalies at fine-grained to coarse-grained stratigraphic boundaries that can transmit bridging stresses that decrease the effective stress at sediment contacts and disrupt normal sediment consolidation. We evaluate slope stability before and after hydrate destabilization. Hydrate anomalies act to significantly increase the overall slope stability due to large increases in effective cohesion. However, when hydrate anomalies destabilize there is a loss of cohesion and increase in effective stress that causes the sediment grains to rapidly consolidate and generate pore pressures that can either trigger immediate slope failure or weaken the surrounding sediment until the pore pressure diffuses away. In cases where failure does not occur, the sediment can remain weakened for months. In cases where failure does occur, we quantify landslide dynamics using a rate and state frictional model and find that landslides can display either slow or dynamic (i.e., catastrophic) motion depending on the rate-dependent properties, size of the stress perturbation, and the size of the slip patch relative to a critical nucleation length scale. Our results illustrate the fundamental mechanisms through which the destabilization of gas hydrates can pose a significant geohazard.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Univ. of Oregon, Eugene, OR (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE)

Grant/Contract Number:: FE0013565

OSTI ID:: 1532978

Journal Information:: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, Journal Name: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 18; ISSN 1525-2027

Publisher:: American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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