Skip to main content
Log in

A Late Pleistocene submarine slide on the Bear Island Trough Mouth Fan

  • Published:
Geo-Marine Letters Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A large submarine slide on the southern flank of the Bear Island Trough Mouth Fan, southwestern Barents Sea continental slope, has a run-out distance of about 400 km, a total volume of about 1100 km3, and is younger than 330 ka. Three seismic units, comprising mainly hemipelagic sediments has partly filled the slide scar. An increased sedimentation rate on the Bear Island Trough Mouth Fan from Late Pliocene time, probably in combination with abundant earthquakes, is the most likely cause of the slide. Based on these and previous studies, we suggest that large-scale slides were important sediment transport processes during Plio-Pleistocene.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Almagor G (1986) Mass transport on the continental slope of Israel. Geo-Marine Letters 6:29–34

    Google Scholar 

  • Andreassen K, Hogstad K, and Berteussen KA (1990) Gas hydrate in the southern Barents Sea, indicated by a shallow seismic anomaly. First Break 8:235–245

    Google Scholar 

  • Bellaiche G, Coutellier V, and Droz L (1986) Seismic evidence of widespread mass transport deposits in the Rhone deep-sea fan: Their role in the fan construction. Marine Geology 71:327–340

    Google Scholar 

  • Blindheim J (1989) Cascading of Barents Sea bottom water into the Norwegian Sea. Rapports et Proces-Verbaux des Reunions Conseil International pour l'Exploration de la Mer 188:49–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Bugge T (1983) Submarine slides on the Norwegian continental margin, with special emphasis on the Storegga area. Continental Shelf Institute Publication 110, Trondheim Norway 152 pp

  • Bugge T, Befring S, Belderson RH, Eidvin T, Jansen E, Kenyon NH, Holtedal H, and Sejrup HP (1987) A giant three-stage submarine slide off Norway. Geo-Marine Letters 7:191–198

    Google Scholar 

  • Damuth JE and Embley RW (1981) Mass-transport processes on Amazon Cone: Western equatorial Atlantic. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin 65:629–643

    Google Scholar 

  • Eidvin T and Riis F (1989) Nye dateringer av de tre vestligste borehullene i Barentshavet. Resultater og konsekvenser for den tertiære hevning. NPD-Contribution 27, Norwegian Petroleum Directorate 44 pp

  • Einsele G (1990) Deep-reaching liquefaction potential of marine slope sediments as a prerequisite for gravity mass flows? (results from the DSDP). Marine Geology 91:267–279

    Google Scholar 

  • Embley (1980) The role of mass transport in the distribution and character of deep-ocean sediments with special reference to the North Atlantic. Marine Geology 38:23–50

    Google Scholar 

  • Geli L (1993) “Volcano-tectonic breathing” and sedimentation since Late Miocene time at the Mohn's Ridge, near 72°N, in the Norwegian-Greenland Sea. Tectonophysics, in press

  • Hovland M and Judd A (1988) Seabed pockmarks and seepages. London: Graham and Trotman 293 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Kenyon NH (1987) Mass-wasting features on the continental slope of northwest Europe. Marine Geology 74:55–77

    Google Scholar 

  • Knutsen S-M, Richardsen G, and Vorren TO (1993) Late Miocene—Pleistocene sequence stratigraphy and mass-movement on the Western Barents Sea margin. In: Vorren TO, Bergsager E, Dahl-Stamnes ØA, Holter E, Johansen B, Lie E, and Lund TB (Eds.), Arctic Geology and Petroleum Potential. Norwegian Petroleum Society Amsterdam: Elsevier pp 573–606

    Google Scholar 

  • Kristoffersen Y, Elverhøi A, and Vinje T (1978) Barentshav-prosjektet. Marin geofysikk, geologi og havis. Unpublished report. Norwegian Polar Research Institute, Oslo 81 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Kvamme LB and Hansen RA (1989) The seismicity in the continental margin areas of Northern Norway. In: Gregersen S and Basham PW (Eds.), Earthquakes at North-Atlantic Passive Margins: Neotectonics and Postglacial Rebound: Kluwer Academic Publishers Dordrecht, Holland pp 429–440

    Google Scholar 

  • Kvilhaug T (1990) Sedimentologiske undersøkelser på kjerneprøver fra øvre del av kontinentalskråningen utenfor Bjørnøyrenna. Unpublished thesis. University of Tromsø 180 pp

  • Loeng H (1991) Features of the physical oceanographic conditions of the Barents Sea. In: Sakshaug E, Hopkins CCE, and Øritsland NA (Eds.), Proceedings of the Pro Mare Symposium on Polar Marine Ecology. Polar Research 10:5–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Mclver RD (1982) Role of naturally occurring gas hydrates in sediment transport. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin 66:789–792

    Google Scholar 

  • Myhre AM and Eldholm O (1988) The Western Svalbard margin (74°–80°N). Marine and Petroleum Geology 5:134–156

    Google Scholar 

  • Perry RK, Fleming HS, Cherkis NZ, Feden RH, and Vogt PR (1980) Bathymetry of the Norwegian-Greenland and western Barents Sea. Naval Research Laboratory-Acoustics Division, Environmental Sciences Branch Washington D.C. USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Postma G (1986) Classification for sediment gravity-flow deposits based on flow conditions during sedimentation. Geology 14:291–294

    Google Scholar 

  • Prior DB and Coleman JM (1979) Submarine landslides-geometry and nomenclature. Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie N.F. 23:415–426

    Google Scholar 

  • Prior DB and Coleman JM (1983) Lateral movements of sediments. Ocean Science and Engineering 8:113–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Richardsen G, Knutsen S-M, Vail PR, and Vorren TO (1993) Mid-Late Miocene sedimentation on the southwestern Barents Shelf margin. In: Vorren TO, Bergsager E, Dahl-Stamnes ØA, Holter E, Johansen B, Lie E, and Lund TB (Eds.), Arctic Geology and Petroleum Potential. Norwegian Petroleum Society. Amsterdam: Elsevier pp 539–571

    Google Scholar 

  • Sættem J, Poole DAR, Ellingsen KL, and Sejrup HP (1992) Glacial geology of outer Bjørnøyrenna, southwestern Barents Sea. Marine Geology 103:15–51

    Google Scholar 

  • Shor AN and Piper DJW (1989) A large Late Pleistocene blocky debris flow on the central Scotian Slope. Geo-Marine Letters 9:153–160

    Google Scholar 

  • Solheim A and Kristoffersen Y (1984) Distribution of sediments above bedrock and glacial history in the western Barents Sea. Norsk Polarinstitutt Skrifter 179B:26 pp

  • Spencer AM, Home PC, and Berglund LT (1984) Tertiary structural development of the western Barents Shelf: Troms to Svalbard. In: Spencer AM, Holter E, Johnsen SO, Mørk A, Nysæter E, Songstad P, and Spinnangr Å (Eds.), Petroleum Geology of the North European Margin. London: Graham and Trotman pp 199–209

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoll RD (1974) Effects of gas hydrates in sediments: Natural gases in marine sediments. Marine Science 3:235–248

    Google Scholar 

  • Summerhayes CP, Bornhold BD, and Embley RW (1979) Surficial slides and slumps on the continental slope and rise of South West Africa: A reconnaissance study. Marine Geology 31:265–277

    Google Scholar 

  • Trincardi F and Field ME (1992) Collapse and flow of lowstand shelf-margin deposits: An example from the eastern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy. Marine Geology 105:77–94

    Google Scholar 

  • Vorren TO, Hald M, and Lebesbye E (1988) Late Cenozoic environment in the Barents Sea. Paleoceanography 3:601–612

    Google Scholar 

  • Vorren TO, Lebesbye E, Andreassen K, and Larsen K-B (1989) Glasigenic sediments on a passive continental margin as exemplified by the Barents Sea. Marine Geology 85:251–272

    Google Scholar 

  • Vorren TO, Richardsen G, Knutsen S-M, and Henriksen E (1991) Cenozoic erosion and sedimentation in the western Barents Sea. Marine and Petroleum Geology 8:317–340

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Laberg, J.S., Vorren, T.O. A Late Pleistocene submarine slide on the Bear Island Trough Mouth Fan. Geo-Marine Letters 13, 227–234 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01207752

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01207752

Keywords

Navigation