Early burial mud diapirism: Lateral overpressure transfer and slope
failure in a deformed foredeep
Abstract
Understanding triggers and evolution of post-depositional sediment
intrusion is of major importance to decrease the risk associated with
hazards to infrastructure and environment from events such as submarine
landslides and fluid escape. Whereas deep-sourced intrusions
(>1 km) are widely documented, early burial examples are
poorly recognized and have been described only in large deltas. Their
formation had not yet been documented in deformed foredeep. Here, we
show an exceptionally well-exposed, early burial mud diapir in the
Northern Apennines fold and thrust belt. Disequilibrium compaction and
tectonic basin tilt led to lateral pressure migration within shallow
(<200 m) sediments. As a result, near-lithostatic overpressure
developed at the basin margin causing sediment intrusion and
destabilization of the slope. This work shows that early burial mud
diapirs can develop in deformed foredeep with similar characteristics to
their deep-rooted counterparts, with important implications for hazard
assessment in areas non-traditionally prone to shallow overpressure
buildup.