Spreading of submarine slopes caused by trenching

Abstract

Abstract Submarine trenching for pipeline installation in potentially unstable sediments has recently been of increasing concern. Although typical pipeline depths are less than 3 or 4 m, trenching operations generally cause local stress concentrations within the sediments and induce excess pore pressures. The result of these stress concentrations and pore pressure increases may be spreading of submarine slumps that can endanger pipelines or other nearby installations. A simplified analytical approach is described to estimate the extent of slump spreading caused by trenching. It is shown that the spreading potential is affected by many geotechnical characteristics of the sediments in addition to geomorphic processes and the oceanographic regimes governing the area. The primary geotechnical factors that influence spreading include the porepressure parameter Af , the degree of consolidation, the coefficient of earth pressure at rest, and the strength characteristics of the soil. Dimensionless parameters are ...