Abstract
Continental slope deposits off Peru and Oregon where coastal upwelling is a pronounced oceanographic process possess significant concentrations of organic carbon. Geotechnical properties are altered to varying degrees by the organic matter. Organic matter absorbs water and causes clay-size particles to aggregate forming an open fabric. This causes unusually high water contents and plasticity and exceptionally low wet bulk densities. Some of these deposits show notable increases in shear strength, sensitivity and degree of apparent overconsolidation. Owing to the unique geotechnical properties, sediment stability characteristics are considered to be poor in situations of excess pore pressures. Failure appears to take the form of a fluidized flow somewhat similar to the quick clays of Scandinavia.
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Keller, G.H. Organic matter and the geotechnical properties of submarine sediments. Geo-Marine Letters 2, 191–198 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02462762
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02462762