Submarine Slope Failure Dynamics in Sand-Rich Systems: Insights from
Physical Experiments and Numerical Models
Abstract
Submarine slope failures and the tsunamis they generate pose risks to
coastal communities and infrastructure. While slope failures on passive
margins represent some of the largest mass failures on Earth, little is
known about their dynamics. The recurrence interval of submarine slope
failures on passive margins is longer than on active margins, which
facilitates thick sediment accumulation before failure, yields larger
failures, and may be associated with higher potential for tsunami
generation. While numerous studies model failure likelihood based on
temporal distribution, overpressure, or earthquake proximity, there is
limited insight linking initial conditions, preconditioning, slope
failure initiation, and failure evolution. We observed dynamic submarine
slope failure processes via physical experiments in a benchtop flume.
Submarine slope failures were induced under controlled pore pressure
with varied sand-clay mixtures (0%, 2%, 4%, and 5%, clay, by weight)
constrained to a constant pre-failure slope geometry. Commercially
obtained fine-grained sand (subangular quartz; 87%
SiO2; D50 = 195 µm) and clay
(dioctahedral smectite; 63% SiO2 and 21%
Al2O3; D90 = 44 µm) were
used. Pore pressure required to induce slope failure, slope-failure
initiation and evolution, and post-failure morphology were recorded and
analysed via photogrammetry. Numerical models were developed to quantify
the physical processes observed in flume experiments. Increased clay
content corresponded to increased cohesion and pore pressure required
for failure. Subsurface fractures and tensile cracks were only generated
in experiments containing clay. Falling head tests showed a log-linear
relation between hydraulic conductivity and clay content which we used
in our numerical models. Models of our experiments effectively simulate
overpressure (pressure in excess of hydrostatic) and failure potential
for (non)cohesive sediment mixtures. Overall our work shows the
importance of clay in reducing permeability and increasing cohesion to
create different failure modes due to overpressure. Ongoing work is
investigating the effects of higher clay content and the role of seismic
energy in slope failure morphology.