Stacked debris flows offshore Sakarya Canyon, western Black Sea: morphology, seismic characterization and formation processes

Authors : Derman DONDURUR, Aslihan NASİF

Pages : 247-267

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Publication Date : 0000-00-00

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Analysis of ca. 1400 km of multichannel seismic data indicate that the distal part of the Sakarya Canyon within the continental rise is an unstable region with sediment erosion. Fourteen buried debris flows insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(DB1-DB14);, in the stacked form within Plio-Quaternary sediments between 1400 and 1950 m water depth, were observed in the surveyed area. Their run-out distances range from 3.8 to 24.4 km. The largest debris flow DB10 affects ca. 225 kminsert ignore into journalissuearticles values(2); surficial area transporting ca. 15 kminsert ignore into journalissuearticles values(3); of sediment in S to N direction. The debris flows in the area are considered as gravity flows of unconsolidated sediments mobilized due to the excess pore pressures occurred in the unconsolidated shallow sediments arising from the high sedimentation rate. We also suggest that extensive seismic activity of North Anatolian Fault insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(NAF); located ca. 140 km south of the of the study area along with the possible local fault activity is also a significant triggering factor for the flows. The stacked form of the debrites indicates that the excess pore pressure conditions are formed periodically over the time in the continental rise, which makes the region a potentially unstable area for the installation of offshore engineering structures.
Keywords : Western Black Sea, Sakarya Canyon, debris flow, seismic reflection, excess pore pressures