Anna Breda

Submarine Slides During Relative Sea Level Rise: Two Examples from the Eastern Tyrrhenian Margin

Two extensive mass-failure deposits originated during the late-Quaternary sea level rise on the eastern Tyrrhenian margin. The deposits that failed had markedly different architectures: offshore Cape Licosa, a shelf-margin low-stand wedge failed along its basal downlap surface; in Paola slope basin, extensive failure on the upper slope involved a few-m-thick mud drape and older consolidated units. Regardless of their geometric differences, both failures occurred close to an interval of accelerated lateQuaternary sea-level rise (ca.13.8 cal. kyr BP). This evidence suggests that rapid drowning of unconsolidated sediment resulted in increased water load; enhanced pore pressure played a role in favoring failure.