A database on submarine landslides of the mediterranean sea

Abstract

Submarine landslides are ubiquitous along the continental margins of the Mediterranean basin and occur on tectonically-dominated margins as well as on passive margins and volcanic island flanks. Tectonically quiet zones seem to have the highest density of known events. Most landslides occur as long run-out distance debris flows, but slumps and deep-seated failures are also relatively common. In abyssal plains the distal product of massive failures is recorded as large megatur-bidites, while on volcanic islands the dominant failure type is flank-collapse with development of debris avalanches. Submarine landslides, excluding megaturbidites, appear to occur in all water depths between the coastline and about 2000 m. Most landslides occupy areas ranging from a few to about 600 km2 and volumes up to 220 km3. Abyssal plain megaturbidites can attain 60, 000 km2 and 1, 000 km3. The landslides headwall height are clustered around two modes: 0 to 40 m for relatively small landslides and 160 to 200 m for the largest ones. Most recorded submarine landslides are relatively young in age and several events appear to group near the Pleistocene to Holocene transition. © Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2010.