High-resolution Chirp Research Articles

The Implications of Seeping Hydrocarbon Gases in the Gunsan Basin, Central Yellow Sea, off the Southwest of Korea

A detailed analysis of high-resolution (3.5 kHz) chirp seismic profiles acquired in the Gunsan Basin of the central Yellow Sea revealed that hydrocarbon gases are actively seeping via the formation of many plumes. The uppermost sedimentary layer was acoustically confirmed to be fully or partially charged with gases. Somewhat favored by the low-tide period, episodic gas seepage is mainly associated with the underlying fault systems of Cretaceous-Cenozoic sedimentary strata in the southwestern part of the basin. Catastrophic gas expulsion seems to have formed a crater at the sidewall of a sedimentary ridge and two diapirs. Here, methane is poorly concentrated but rich in the heavy carbon isotope (δ13C, −52.6‰ to −44.7‰ The Vienna Peedee Belemnite [VPDB]), indicating that methane formed mainly through biodegradation of heavy oils at depth remains in the shallow sediments following its expulsion. Episodic rapid upward advection of porewater is also manifest by unmixed heavy methane trapped in the upper part of the primary biogenic methane (δ13C, about −90‰ VPDB)-filled sediment core. These findings imply that the Gunsan Basin fulfills the requirements for possible generation and preservation of oil and gas, like the petroliferous basins of eastern China and the Yellow Sea.

The Neapolitan Yellow Tuff record in the Gaeta Gulf (Eastern Tyrrhenian margin, Southern Italy)

Abstract. The Neapolitan Yellow Tuff caldera-forming eruption (ca. 15 kyr) is a large event that occurred at Phlegrean Fields during the Late Glacial–Holocene time span. The eruptive products represent a widespread isochronous marker that links the marine and terrestrial stratigraphic record of the central Mediterranean and Northern Europe sequences. In this research, we describe the stratigraphic signature of the NYT deposits in the Late Glacial–Holocene shelf sequence of the Gulf of Gaeta (northern Campania region, southern Tyrrhenian Sea) throughout the seismo-stratigraphic interpretation of a grid of high and very high-resolution Chirp seismic profiles. The seismo-stratigraphic data allowed to individuate in the Upper Pleistocene–Holocene stratigraphic architecture a continental shelf characterized by an offlap prograding succession followed by a very thick transgressive onlapping unit, and by an upper highstand unit mainly characterized by undulations probably linked to gas-prone sediment. The NYT reflector observed was parallel and with a high amplitude. It was continuously detected from the shelf to the slope within transgressive deposits. On the inner shelf, its continuity was interrupted by shallow gas pockets. The NYT depths ranges from 2 m b.s.f. on the slope to 38 m b.s.f. on the continental shelf. The NYT event appeared to have played a key role in controlling the stratigraphic architecture of the studied area during the last transgression, acting as a trigger for the formation of the aggradational sedimentary successions fed by pyroclastic and volcaniclastic deposits.

Seismic investigation uncovers formation and spatial distribution of seafloor erosional features on the Changjiang (Yangtze) River subaqueous delta

River deltas face erosional challenges driven by global changes and human activities leading to diminished sediment supply. Despite extensive researches on erosional processes within the Changjiang River subaqueous delta (CRSD), there exists a knowledge gap concerning the comprehensive spatial distribution of erosional features throughout the CRSD. This study addresses this gap by utilizing a substantial dataset of high-resolution chirp data to analyze the characteristics, distributions, and stratigraphic terminations of seafloor erosional features within the CRSD. The results unveil an expansive erosion area spanning approximately 2900 km2, occurring at depths ranging from 10 to 40 m in the modern CRSD. These erosional features manifest as extensive truncations, low-relief scoured seafloor, and cut-and-fill structures, distributed variably across the CRSD. Particularly noteworthy is the identification of an alignment between the suspended sediment front and a 20 m water depth erosional area along the deltaic coast. Erosion in this area is dominated by truncations, extending ∼ 10 km in width, and followed by scoured (several hundred meters wide and ∼ 1–2 m deep on average) seafloor. Slope gradient also influences erosion, with cut-and-fill structures (2 km wide and around 5 m deep) that we attribute to sediment gravity flows are identified on steeper slopes offshore of North Channel. Beyond the 20 m water depth, extensive truncations spanning approximately 20 km wide and lead to outcrops of older strata. The spatial distribution of erosional features, coupled with river outlets and subsurface structure, suggests joint influences from reduced riverine sediments, estuarine engineering, wave actions, and tidal regimes. These findings emphasize the primary impact of sediment discharge reduction and underscore the collective influence of various anthropological and natural factors in shaping the spatial distribution of erosional features across different water depths in the subaqueous delta. Insights from this study contribute to a deep understanding of erosional processes and the ongoing evolution of erosional degradation in deltaic systems worldwide.

Geophysical evidence of a large occurrence of mud volcanoes associated with gas plumbing system in the Ross Sea (Antarctica)

Seafloor and buried reliefs occur along continental margin of the Ross Sea (Antarctica). These features are several kilometres wide and tens of metres high, exhibiting cone or flat-top dome shapes. Previous studies have proposed a volcanic or glacial origin for these formations, but these hypotheses do not account for all the available evidence.In this study, we use morpho-bathymetric data, intermediate resolution multichannel seismic and high resolution chirp profiles, as well as magnetic lines to investigate these clusters of mounds. By employing targeted processing techniques to enhance the geophysical characterization of the seafloor and buried reliefs, and to understand the underlying geological features, we propose that the reliefs are mud volcanoes. Some of these formations appear to be associated with a plumbing system, as indicated by acoustic anomalies linked to sediment containing gas. These formations are likely fed by clayey source rocks of Miocene age. Additionally, other reliefs might be the result of mud mobilisation caused by gravity instability and fluid overpressure.

100,000 years climatic cycles recorded on very high-resolution seismic data from the Santos Basin’s upper slope during the last 800 ka

This study proposes to combine seismic stratigraphic interpretation of very high-resolution sub-bottom chirp profiles acquired along the Santos Basin slope on the Southern Brazilian Margin during the SANBA project to recently published results from five continuous long cores acquired in the Santos Basin (sampling sediments as old as 772 ka with detailed biostratigraphic and chronostratigraphic data). The seismic-core correlation is consistent over the area and shows that 100,000 years cycles’ terminations (G/IG transitions, identified on long sediment cores) do correlate to strong seismic reflectors identified regionally on chirp profiles.In particular, the last eight 100,000 years cycles (down to MIS19) are well-identified throughout the area. Additional higher-resolution sea-level drops or cooling events (e.g., MIS4, MIS7b, MIS9b) can sometimes be distinguished on the chirp profiles but only in areas with sufficiently high sedimentation rates (around 10 cm/ka). At MIS12, we observe a change in seismic architecture with more numerous, more closely spaced seismic reflectors but with smaller amplitudes. According to the available data, this change also corresponds to a change in sedimentation rates (smaller rates before MIS12), which may be related to the mid-Brunhes Transition (at 430 ka) and/or the imprint of 400 ka Milankovitch cycles. Two cores show a specific Nanno Foram Ooze at this transition towards the following Super-interglacial MIS11. This study demonstrates the ability and the reliability of very high-resolution chirp profiles to record continuously the stacking of G/IG climatic cycles on the slope of the Santos Basin despite relatively low subsidence rates on this old passive margin and small direct input from rivers. Therefore, the study points to the continuous feeding of the margin by sediment brought up laterally by currents, most probably mainly Brazilian Current (BC) that follows the shelfbreak down to the South.

Morphological and seismostratigraphic evidence of Quaternary mass transport deposits in the North Ionian Sea: the Taranto landslide complex (TLC)

The Taranto Landslide Complex (TLC) is a large submarine landslide area located along the continental margin of the Puglia Region, in the Gulf of Taranto (North Ionian Sea), between 200 and 800 m water depth. Based on very high-resolution multibeam data, a morphological analysis was performed by measuring different physical and spatial parameters (i.e., surface, headwall height and length, slope in the source area, and blocks in the accumulation zone). In addition, we use nine high-resolution sub-bottom CHIRP profiles to reconstruct the stratigraphic architecture. The main results show five phases of Quaternary mass transport deposits (MTDs) in the study area. The oldest to the youngest are MTD1, with a volume of about 0.032 km3 and an area of about 4 km2; MTD2, which is the largest of the identified deposits, covering an area of ∼26 km2 and having an estimated volume of ∼0.35 km3; and MTD3 and MTD4, with volumes of about 0.033 km3 and 0.035 km3 and an area of 7 km2 and 5 km2, respectively. The final submarine landslide is represented by MTD5, which has a volume of 0.02 km3. The deposits are internally characterized by chaotic acoustic facies with reflectors with moderate amplitude and laterally continuous in time, showing likely erosive characteristics defined as “bounding surfaces”. The main transport direction of the MTDs is from north/northeast to south/southwest. This represents the trend of the continental slope, but there is also slope failure evidence coming from west/northwest to east/southeast (MTD5). The correlation between topographic and seismo-stratigraphic features allows the documentation of the characteristics, distributions, sources, and the triggering mechanisms of the Late Quaternary MTDs in the area. We suggest that still the unknown trigger mechanisms could be based on the performed analysis, related to the anomalously high sedimentation rates and/or sea level fluctuation.

Shallow deformation on the Kirby Hills fault, Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, California (USA), revealed from high-resolution seismic reflection data and coring in a fluvial system

Abstract The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (Delta) in California (USA) is an important part of the state’s freshwater system and is also a major source of agricultural and natural resources. However, the Delta is traversed by a series of faults that make up the easternmost part of the San Andreas fault system at this latitude and pose seismic hazard to this region. In this study, we use new high-resolution chirp subbottom data1 to map and characterize the shallow expression of the Kirby Hills fault, where it has been mapped to cross the Sacramento River at the western extent of the Delta. The fault is buried here, but we document a broad zone of deformation associated with the eastern strand of the fault that changes in character, along strike, across ~600 m of the river channel. Radiocarbon dates from sediment cores collected in the Sacramento River provide some minimum constraints on the age of deformation. We do not observe evidence of the western strand as previously mapped. We also discuss difficulties of conducting a paleoseismologic study in a fluvial environment.

Climate-controlled sensitivity of lake sediments to record earthquake-related mass wasting in tropical Lake Towuti during the past 40 kyr

Located at the triple junction of the Pacific, Eurasian and Sunda plates, the Island of Sulawesi in Indonesia is one of the most tectonically active places on Earth. This is highlighted by the recurrence of devastating earthquakes such as the 2018 Mw 7.5 earthquake that damaged the city of Palu and caused several thousand fatalities in central Sulawesi. The majority of large-magnitude earthquakes on Sulawesi are related to stress release along major strike-slip faults such as the Palu-Koro Fault and its southern extensions, the Matano and Lawanopo Faults. To date, information on the frequency and magnitude of past major events on these faults is limited to instrumental records and historical sources restricted to the last century, whereas information from natural archives is completely lacking. Lake-sediment records can fill this gap, but a detailed assessment of the various factors that influence the sensitivity of sediment successions to past earthquakes is required to evaluate their suitability. Lake Towuti, situated in Eastern Sulawesi, is known for its paleoclimate record and also promises to be a key site to generate a paleoseismology record for Sulawesi. The lake lies close to the highly active Matano and Lawanopo strike-slip faults and thereby is an ideal archive for past earthquakes that have occurred in the surrounding area. Here we combine high-resolution chirp seismic data with lithostratigraphic and petrophysical data of sediment piston cores to assess the recurrence of seismically generated mass-transport and turbidite deposits. Three major seismic-stratigraphic units are distinguished in the upper ∼10 m of the sediment succession and linked to differences in the frequency of mass-wasting during the past 60 kyrs. The evidence of a more turbidite-prone period between 12 and 40 ka is roughly coincident with a dry phase and associated lake-level lowstand during the last glacial period at Lake Towuti. Hence, we suggest that climate strongly influences the sensitivity of slopes to fail during seismic shaking in this tropical setting as a consequence of lowstand-forced sediment redeposition from the shelves onto the slopes and into the basins. As climate significantly impacts the sensitivity of the lacustrine sediments to record earthquake-related mass wasting deposits, we suggest that the frequency of mass-transport deposits can additionally be employed as a quantitative indicator for past changes in hydroclimate in these tropical settings.

Hydrodynamics and sedimentary processes in the modern Rion strait (Greece): Interplay between tidal currents and internal tides

Straits are crossed by marine currents that are amplified due to constrictions. These nearshore high-velocity flows are problematic for offshore infrastructures (bridge pillars, cables, pipelines, etc), but constitute an interesting carbon-free energy source. Many modern straits are dominated by tidal currents which flow axially, with reversal directions and phase difference between the two interlinked basins. These tidal currents interplay with: sediment sources (including in situ carbonate production and deltas), tectonic activity, and inherited lowstand features, all shaping the seafloor into complex geomorphologies. Previous studies have highlighted a common tidal strait depositional model with a strait-center zone in erosion and on each side a dune-bedded strait zone with 3D and 2D tidal dunes and tidal ripples. Even if the internal waves associated with and generated by the straits are widely documented, the effects of the internal waves on the seafloor need to be further investigated. The aim of this study is to unravel the combined effects of the tidal currents and the internal tides on current pattern and on the morphosedimentary features.We present a strait example based on an interdisciplinary approach using high-resolution geophysical and oceanographical data to better constrain the hydrodynamics and the processes acting on the seafloor. We focus on the Rion Strait in Greece which controls the connection between the Corinth Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea. Based on high-resolution multibeam bathymetry (MBES) over an area of 211 km2, we identify and quantify different morphologies by extracting bathymetric swath profiles. These results are integrated with currents data (ADCP) and CTD profiles. In addition, we use high-resolution chirp sub-bottom profiles and sparker seismic reflection profiles to document the morphology and internal architectures of the sedimentary deposits and the erosional features in the strait bottom. To complete this dataset, we analyzed Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) from satellite sensors.The Rion Strait displays complex bathymetric features without tidal dunes. At the excepted depositional location of tidal dunes, we identify an erosive area with a pool and crest morphology. This new example completes the tidal strait depositional model by a re-localization of erosion, bypass and deposition in an asymmetric strait swept by baroclinic currents. This example illustrates the key role of internal tides in straits located between a confined deep basin and an open sea.

The Influence of Channel Planform and Slope Topography on Turbidity Current Overbank Processes: The Example of the Acquarone Fan (Southeastern Tyrrhenian Sea)

Overbank deposits provide a potentially valuable record of flows that have passed through a submarine channel. The architecture of overbank deposits has generally assumed to relate to autogenic processes related to channel construction. In previous models, which are largely based on passive margins, the distribution and geometry of these deposits is relatively simple, and hence generally predictable. Here, we show how the interaction of different flow types with the complex morphology on a highly-tectonically modified margin can profoundly affect overbank depositional processes, and hence also the resultant deposit geometry and architecture. Our case study is the Acquarone Fan, located in the intraslope Gioia Basin in the south-eastern Tyrrhenian Sea, whose topography is mainly controlled by the presence of the Acquarone structural ridge, which results in the confinement of the left south-west side of the channel-levee system. The research is carried out through analysis of multibeam bathymetric and high-resolution Chirp sub-bottom profiler data. Seven depositional units (Units I-VII) record the recent depositional history of the fan; their thickness has been mapped and their parent flow-types have been interpreted through their seismic response. According to unit thickness maps, two main patterns of deposition are recognized in the overbank area. Their depocenters coincide with different extensive sediment wave fields developed in specific tracts of the right levee and in the frontal splay area. We show that the location of the depocenters varies in time according to the prevalent flow-type and by its interaction with the surrounding seafloor topography and channel planform. We interpret that the lateral confinement of the channel by the structural high generates episodic rebound of the overspilling flow and the inversion of the channel asymmetry. The vertical stratification of the flow strongly influences the overbank deposition where the channel planform has a non-linear shape such as bends and knick-points. In particular, the vertical stratification influences the hydraulic jump size that conditions the amount of overspill and thus the location of overbank depocenters. This study highlights that variations in the sediment distribution and composition on the overbank can be related to the way different flows interact with tectonic setting.

Re-evaluating terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene settlement patterns with Chirp subbottom data from around California’s Northern Channel Islands

ABSTRACT California’s Northern Channel Islands contain an incredible record of terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene human occupation. Since the hunter-gatherer-fishers who created these sites relied heavily on marine resources, a critical aspect of understanding early settlement patterns is calculating distance to paleoshorelines. This has traditionally been accomplished using sea-level curves and bathymetric models that do not account for sediment deposited offshore after inundation by rising seas. Here, we use high-resolution Chirp subbottom data to re-evaluate distance to paleoshorelines at two terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene site clusters on the Northern Channel Islands and identify significant differences between the methods. Our results suggest that Chirp subbottom surveys offer more accurate reconstructions of ancient shorelines than bathymetric modelling and can produce more accurate reconstructions of ancient settlement patterns of terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene peoples along coastal and island environments around the world.

Faulting and Folding of the Transgressive Surface Offshore Ventura Records Deformational Events in the Holocene

Identifying the offshore thrust faults of the Western Transverse Ranges that could produce large earthquakes and seafloor uplift is essential to assess potential geohazards for the region. The Western Transverse Ranges in southern California are an E-W trending fold-and-thrust system that extends offshore west of Ventura. Using a high-resolution seismic CHIRP dataset, we have identified the Last Glacial Transgressive Surface (LGTS) and two Holocene seismostratigraphic units. Deformation of the LGTS, together with onlapping packages that exhibit divergence and rotation across the active structures, provide evidence for three to four deformational events with vertical uplifts ranging from 1 to 10 m. Based on the depth of the LGTS and the Holocene sediment thickness, age estimates for the deformational events reveal a good correlation with the onshore paleoseismological results for the Ventura-Pitas Point fault and the Ventura-Avenue anticline. The observed deformation along the offshore segments of the Ventura-Pitas Point fault and Ventura-Avenue anticline trend diminishes toward the west. Farther north, the deformation along the offshore Red Mountain anticline also diminishes to the west with the shortening stepping north onto the Mesa-Rincon Creek fault system. These observations suggest that offshore deformation along the fault-fold structures moving westward is systematically stepping to the north toward the hinterland. The decrease in the amount of deformation along the frontal structures towards the west corresponds to an increase in deformation along the hinterland fold systems, which could result from a connection of the fault strands at depth. A connection at depth of the northward dipping thrusts to a regional master detachment may explain the apparent jump of the deformation moving west, from the Ventura-Pitas Point fault and the Ventura-Avenue anticline to the Red Mountain anticline, and then, from the Red Mountain anticline to the Mesa-Rincon Creek fold system. Finally, considering the maximum vertical uplift estimated for events on these structures (max ∼10 m), along with the potential of a common master detachment that may rupture in concert, this system could generate a large magnitude earthquake (>Mw 7.0) and a consequent tsunami.

Tectonic and eustatic control on channel formation, erosion, and deposition along a strike-slip margin, San Diego, California, USA

Active margins are characterized by small mountainous streams, which contribute significantly to global sediment transport from land to sea. The response of active margin streams to base-level change due to eustatic sea-level cycles is less well understood than passive margin streams, which form the basis of most sequence stratigraphic models. The southern California margin offers an opportunity to investigate the evolution of small mountainous streams along a strike-slip margin over a sea-level cycle. High-resolution Chirp subbottom data were examined from the Silver Strand littoral cell in San Diego, California, which is located in a region of localized transtension associated with a step in the Newport Inglewood-Rose Canyon fault zone. Chirp data reveal active faulting on multiple fault strands, a subaerial surface likely formed from MIS 4 to MIS 2, fluvial incision associated with MIS 2, and the transgressive surface of erosion formed during sea-level rise from MIS 2 to MIS 1. Interpreted acoustic units observed in the data include the Cretaceous outcropping Rosario Group, Miocene to Pliocene prograding clinoforms, subaerial deposits associated with MIS 4 to MIS 3, channel fill and transgressive lag deposits formed during the most recent sea-level transgression, and Holocene marine sediment. The Chirp data examined in this study build upon findings from other seismic studies, sediment cores, trenching, and outcrops that have been examined on- and offshore San Diego. Combined, these data suggest that the fault-controlled pull-apart basin formed in this region influences sediment transport and deposition throughout the last glacial cycle. During highstand, the fault-controlled wide shelf, subsiding basin, and circulation patterns result in trapping of sediment in San Diego Bay and nearshore, cutting off sediment delivery to the deep-sea. During lowstand, the fault-controlled morphology creates a drainage divide that deflects streams to the south which lengthens and reduces slope of the drainage pathways. These findings are in contrast to observations in other fault controlled littoral cells along the southern California margin where sediment delivery to the deep-sea remains active during highstands, highlighting the variability of stream response to base-level change along active strike-slip dominated margins.

Recency of Faulting and Subsurface Architecture of the San Diego Bay Pull-Apart Basin, California, USA

In Southern California, plate boundary motion between the North American and Pacific plates is distributed across several sub-parallel fault systems. The offshore faults of the California Continental Borderland (CCB) are thought to accommodate ∼10–15% of the total plate boundary motion, but the exact distribution of slip and the mechanics of slip partitioning remain uncertain. The Newport-Inglewood-Rose Canyon fault is the easternmost fault within the CCB whose southern segment splays out into a complex network of faults beneath San Diego Bay. A pull-apart basin model between the Rose Canyon and the offshore Descanso fault has been used to explain prominent fault orientations and subsidence beneath San Diego Bay; however, this model does not account for faults in the southern portion of the bay or faulting east of the bay. To investigate the characteristics of faulting and stratigraphic architecture beneath San Diego Bay, we combined a suite of reprocessed legacy airgun multi-channel seismic profiles and high-resolution Chirp data, with age and lithology controls from geotechnical boreholes and shallow sub-surface vibracores. This combined dataset is used to create gridded horizon surfaces, fault maps, and perform a kinematic fault analysis. The structure beneath San Diego Bay is dominated by down-to-the-east motion on normal faults that can be separated into two distinct groups. The strikes of these two fault groups can be explained with a double pull-apart basin model for San Diego Bay. In our conceptual model, the western portion of San Diego Bay is controlled by a right-step between the Rose Canyon and Descanso faults, which matches both observations and predictions from laboratory models. The eastern portion of San Diego Bay appears to be controlled by an inferred step-over between the Rose Canyon and San Miguel-Vallecitos faults and displays distinct fault strike orientations, which kinematic analysis indicates should have a significant component of strike-slip partitioning that is not detectable in the seismic data. The potential of a Rose Canyon-San Miguel-Vallecitos fault connection would effectively cut the stepover distance in half and have important implications for the seismic hazard of the San Diego-Tijuana metropolitan area (population ∼3 million people).

2019-333-FA_sol: Digital Chirp Subbottom Profile Start of Line Data Collected During USGS Field Activity Number 2019-333-FA Offshore of the Rockaway Peninsula, New York, September–October 2019

From September 27 through October 5, 2019, researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a geophysical survey to investigate shoreface morphology and geology near the Rockaway Peninsula, New York. The Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux project objectives include understanding the morphologic evolution of the barrier island system on a variety of time scales (months to centuries) and resolving storm-related impacts, post-storm beach response, and recovery. This publication serves as an archive of high-resolution chirp subbottom trace data, survey trackline map, navigation files, geographic information system (GIS) data, and formal Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM). Processed subbottom profile images are also provided. The archived trace data are in standard Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) SEG-Y revision 0 format (Barry and others, 1975). In addition to this data release, the SEG-Y files can be downloaded from the USGS Coastal and Marine Geoscience Data System (CMGDS) at, https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov. Bathymetry and backscatter data were also collected during this survey and are available in Stalk and others (2020).

Application of pseudo-3D Chirp sub-bottom profiler survey: a case study of ancient wooden shipwreck site, west coast of Korea

Chirp sub-bottom profilers (SBP) provide centi-to-decimetre resolution, seismic data with applications for various geophysical and geological purposes. To verify the field application of imaging of a buried target with a cost-effective and easy-to-apply pseudo-3D Chirp SBP survey, we explored the buried site of an ancient wooden shipwreck off the west coast of Korea before underwater excavations. The survey was conducted using a commercial 2D Chirp SBP system with a newly devised recording system that preserved the true polarity of the chirp signal. To produce high-resolution 3D Chirp SBP data from 2D Chirp SBP datasets recorded by the novel system, an optimal data processing sequence, consisting of a first phase of 2D data processing and a second phase of 3D data processing was designed. The first, 2D phase, included the estimation of a source sweep signature, cross-correlation, and deconvolution using an inverse filter. The resulting resolution of the 2D Chirp SBP data was better than that of the enveloped data provided by the commercial acquisition system. The second phase of 3D data processing included gathering 3D datasets, redistributing of ping positions, and static correction. To improve the consistency of the seismic events and reduce the repetitive corrections (swell, tidal, tie, and residual corrections), a static correction was based on multi-beam echo sounder data. The amplitude variation near the shipwreck was clearly apparent in the time slice from the final pseudo-3D Chirp SBP dataset with a bin size of 2.0 m (crossline) × 0.6 m (inline). Through 3D rendering, the buried ancient shipwreck with dimensions of 5 m (width) × 12 m (length) × 2 m (depth) was imaged successfully.

Sediment transport mechanisms revealed by quantitative analyses of seafloor morphology: New evidence from multibeam bathymetry of the Israel exclusive economic zone

Abstract This study synthesizes 15 years (2001–2016) of detailed multibeam hydrographic mapping covering the entire 26,500 km2 of the Israeli Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Multibeam data were collected on-board three research vessels across the continental shelf, slope, and the deep Levant basin; between water depths of about 15 m to 2100 m. Single-channel 3.5 kHz seismic reflection chirp profiles were collected simultaneously with the multibeam surveys in selected parts of the area. The new data enabled the first comprehensive quantitative seafloor morphological analysis of the slope and deep basin. Using GIS techniques on the high-resolution multibeam data, we analyze the spatial distribution and quantitatively describe the seafloor morphologies in detail. High-resolution chirp seismic profiles demonstrate the underlying shallow structure. Results indicate that the seabed comprises five main morphologies: folds, faults, sediment waves, deepwater channels, and sediment fan lobes. Quantitative morphological analysis and seismic data interpretation were used to derive field relations between these morphologies, which along with previously collected multi-channel seismic reflection data, suggest that a concentric fold geometry formed around the Nile outlet during the late Pliocene to early Pleistocene, as part of a general thin-skin radial salt-tectonic deformation above the Messinian mobile unit. This radial motion was accompanied by displacement along NNE-trending strike-slip faults in the basin, and an extensional component across E-W trending strike-slip faults along the Levant margin. While some of these displacements continue to deform the modern seabed (across Area A), others are covered by a wedge of Quaternary deposits, mainly in the northeastern part of the basin (Area B). Areas A and B also differ in grain size distribution, as indicated by backscatter analysis of the multibeam data. These observations divide the Israeli EEZ into two distinct areas: (Area A) Nile derived siliciclastic sediments transported directly into the deep basin via confined (forming meandering channels and overbank deposits) and unconfined flows (forming fans and lobes). The wedge consisting of Area B was fed by erosion products of the Nile outlet that were transported northwards along the continental shelf by seafloor currents of the Levant Jet System, and glided down the northern Levant continental slope as turbidity currents. This supply built at least seven sequences of Quaternary sediment waves that form upslope migrating cyclic steps. The complete data coverage and quantitative morphological analysis presented here introduce new spatial and temporal constraints that call for a reexamination of previous seabed sampling locations not accounting for detailed bathymetry, and to augment future seabed sampling efforts, understanding the sediment supply paths across the basin, and the geomorphological footprint of salt tectonics processes.

Subaerial and Subaqueous Investigations of Volcanic Debris Avalanche and Lahar Deposits on the Northern Coast of Ulleung Island, Korea

Chun, J.-H. and Lee, H.-J., 2019. Subaerial and subaqueous investigations of volcanic debris avalanche and lahar deposits on the northern coast of Ulleung Island, Korea. In: Jung, H.-S.; Lee, S.; Ryu, J.-H., and Cui, T. (eds.), Advances in Remote Sensing and Geoscience Information Systems of Coastal Environments. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 90, pp. 369-376. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Volcanic debris avalanche and lahar deposits associated with small-scale lava dome collapse have been poorly documented in volcanic islands. The Chusan Formation was emplaced on the collapsed northern flank of Ulleung Island, Korea. Subaerial and subaqueous investigations of the collapsed northern part of Ulleung Island have been performed based on shaded relief images generated from a digital elevation model (DEM), a GeoEye satellite image, outcrop observations, and multi-beam echosounder and high-resolution Chirp sub-bottom profiling systems. The Chusan Formation is an elongated (length, 800 m; width, 250 m) system of valley-confined deposits connected to the Albong lava dome within the Nari caldera depression. A 40-m-thick outcrop of the Chusan Formation consists of three aggradational units that were emplaced by lahars, volcanic debris avalanches, and mixed deposition due to these processes. The peat layer between the overlying Chusan Formation and underlying reworked sediments was dated at 3,070–3,275 cal B.P., matching the emplacement of the Chusan Formation. Equivalent subaqueous deposits of the Chusan Formation were not detected in the northern shelf; thus, large-scale caldera collapse deposits covered the marine terrace before emplacement of the Chusan Formation. The valley-confined Chusan Formation is the result of an aggradational succession of lahar and volcanic debris avalanche deposits associated with the Albong lava dome collapse, corresponding to the most recent volcanic activity of Ulleung Island.

Stratigraphic analysis of a sediment pond within the New England Mud Patch: New constraints from high-resolution chirp acoustic reflection data

The New England Mud Patch (NEMP) is an anomaly on the Atlantic coast of North America. This ~13,000 km2 area, located south of Cape Cod between the ~60 m and 160 m isobaths, is a region of active fine-grained deposition on a shelf that is predominantly non-depositional or erosional. Prior studies theorized that NEMP sediments are derived from fines winnowed from Georges Bank, transported westward by coastal currents, and then settled in more quiescent conditions. A chirp seismic reflection (2015) and coring (2016) survey of part of the NEMP was conducted in support of a planned acoustic experiment for the Office of Naval Research. The survey focused on a ~30 km (E-W) by ~8 km (N-S) region between the 70 m and 85 m isobaths, encompassing a sediment “pond” >12 m thick. The dense (250 m) survey lines allow a pseudo-3D stratigraphic interpretation. The sediment pond occupies an embayment eroded into pre-LGM substrate sediments, perhaps by glacial outwash. Marine sands beneath the mud are organized into oblique sand ridge morphology. The sense of obliquity, morphologic asymmetry, and internal dipping reflectors indicate that the sand ridges formed under east-directed transport. However, as evidenced by westward-prograding depocenters and onlap, NEMP deposition occurred under west-directed transport, consistent with modern shelf conditions. The onset of fine-grained deposition was therefore contemporaneous with a significant shift in the hydrologic regime. Muds deposited immediately above the sand ridges include a significant sand component, whose modal grain size is identical to that of the sand ridges. This admixture may indicate that, during the early stages of mud deposition, the tops of the sand ridges remained unburied and exposed to reworking. Episodic, storm-driven transport of sand to the muddy deposits may account for some of the sand component of NEMP sediments.

Multiple meltwater discharge and ice rafting events recorded in the deglacial sediments along the Beaufort Margin, Arctic Ocean

The first regional model for the deglacial history of the Beaufort margin slope, in the western Arctic, is presented. The conceptual model was developed using new high-resolution CHIRP seismic reflection, multibeam bathymetry, and sediment core data acquired along the margin. This synthesis provides important constraints on sediment source and dispersal patterns for the last deglaciation. The continental slope from Barrow Canyon to the Mackenzie Trough is characterized by thick Holocene sediments mostly sourced from Barrow Canyon and continental discharge. This acoustically transparent, fine-grained unit overlies acoustically laminated sediments sourced from the Mackenzie River and ice rafting. The deglacial history of the margin from Mackenzie Trough to the Amundsen Gulf is characterized by many ice rafting and meltwater discharge events. Ice rafted debris layers were deposited around ∼14.6 ka and ∼14.1 ka and likely document enhanced ice shedding events from the Amundsen and M'Clure ice streams as they retreated. There are three inferred meltwater discharge events, all sourced from the Mackenzie region. The oldest discharge event had two phases, one sometime between ∼14.5 ka and ∼14.2 ka and another between ∼14.0 ka and ∼13.0 ka. This discharge deposited finely laminated sediments more than 7 m thick sourced from proglacial lakes in the area. Following this was a flood event starting at ∼12.94 ka, which generated high amplitude reflectors, deposited coarse debris, and caused a lowering in the δ18O record. This is possibly a major outburst flood from glacial Lake Agassiz with an additional component of Agassiz meltwater that was diverted from its southern drainage pathway down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. Finally, a third discharge event was initiated by ∼11.3 ka, which deposited coarse laminated sediments focused in the Mackenzie Trough. Timing of these second and third events correlates with the onset of the Younger Dryas cold period and the preBoreal oscillation event, respectively, suggesting that fresh water discharge may have reached a tipping point, leading to those climate events.