Post-megaslide slope stability north of Svalbard, Arctic Ocean

Abstract

In the light of a warming globe, increasing coastal population and human offshore activities, slope stability issues steadily gain significance. The Arctic Ocean is predicted to exhibit most drastic changes. Following the enormous Hinlopen/Yermak Megaslide north of Svalbard 30, 000 years ago, the adjacent slopes developed several failure types as a consequence of the partial removal of the Hinlopen trough mouth fan. The local slope to the east is structured by several detachment surfaces that facilitate large scale creeping. This soft sediment deformation includes turbulent structures like folds on a meter-scale. The creeping sediments partly cover the eastern main slide debris of the megaslide within Sophia Basin. The timing of this gravity-driven mass transport can roughly be assessed by the time interval that occurred between the megaslide and today. These features mark the slope as unstable. © Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2010.