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Slope Instability Analysis of the Qiongdongnan Basin in the Northern Part of the South China Sea: Implications for the Risk Evaluation of Deepwater Drilling

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Abstract

The instability of continental slopes damages marine engineering equipment, such as submarine pipelines, resulting in the generation of tsunamis, which endangers the safety of nearshore personnel. Therefore, research on the instability of continental slopes where submarine landslides usually occur is crucial to the risk evaluation of deepwater drilling. Previous studies were mainly based on simplified 2D and 3D models, which extend the 2D model applied on submarine slopes with complex topography. In this study, a numerical model with bathymetric data from the Qiongdongnan Basin was established. Furthermore, 3D slope stability analysis and static and dynamic analyses were conducted. The static analysis found two discussions where slopes are most likely to occur. Through the analysis of different seismic forces, the dynamic result showed that an instability area is added to the two positions where the static analysis is unstable. Topography scatters and transmits seismic waves and controls the accumulation and diffusion of seismic energy. 3D calculations and analysis revealed that the direction of slope instability is closely related to terrain inclination, slope, terrain effect, and terrain curvature. Data showed that instability situations could not be derived from a single direction or profile data. Such situations are an important factor in slope stability analysis and are critical to the prediction and evaluation of marine geological disasters.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2019YFC0312 301), and the Nation Natural Science Foundation of China (No. U1701245).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Marine Geophysics and Georesources, Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, 572000, China

    Linwei Ma, Shiguo Wu, Yanrui Liu, Jin Sun, Yongpeng Qin & Dawei Wang

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Linwei Ma, Shiguo Wu, Jin Sun, Yongpeng Qin & Dawei Wang

  3. College of Geophysics, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China

    Min Ouyang

  4. Zhanjiang Branch, CNOOC China Limited, Zhanjiang, 524057, China

    Min Ouyang

  5. State Key Laboratory of Natural Gas Hydrate, CNOOC Research Institute Company Limited, Beijing, 100028, China

    Qingping Li

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  1. Linwei Ma
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  2. Shiguo Wu
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  3. Yanrui Liu
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  4. Jin Sun
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Correspondence to Shiguo Wu.

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Ma, L., Wu, S., Liu, Y. et al. Slope Instability Analysis of the Qiongdongnan Basin in the Northern Part of the South China Sea: Implications for the Risk Evaluation of Deepwater Drilling. J. Ocean Univ. China 22, 393–409 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-023-4985-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-023-4985-y

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