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Geotechnical properties of Sines Contourite Drift sediments: their contribution to submarine landslide susceptibility

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Abstract

The Sines Contourite Drift (SCD) in the Alentejo Margin (southwest Iberia margin) is a middle-slope plastered drift mainly comprising hemipelagic and muddy contourite sediments, which is affected by many landslide scars on both steep and gentle slopes. This work presents geotechnical analysis results for the Late Pleistocene–Holocene sediments of this drift. Analyses are conducted involving samples of a 346-cm-long gravity core, retrieved at 1425 m water depth, through consolidation (oedometer), compressional (triaxial), and simple shear tests. The landslide susceptibility in the area is assessed considering the sediment mechanical properties. The results indicate that the upper 346 cm below the seafloor consists of low consolidated to slightly overconsolidated hemipelagic sediments, with few thin muddy contourite layers, exhibiting a high water content, void ratio, and in situ effective consolidation < 50 kPa. The low sediment consolidation is mostly promoted by a high compressibility. The low consistency and plastic behavior of sediments can be expressed through a barrel-shaped disruption mode under compression. Once under stress, the horizontal and vertical displacements of these sediments generally remain constant with increasing stress, where almost no, or a very low, peak strength is verified. The internal friction angle values vary between 25.6° and 30.9° with a mean value of 28.5°. The low consolidation and high pore pressure of these sediments associated with seismicity dynamism in the area are important conditioning and triggering factors, respectively, of slope instability, thereby greatly increasing the shallow landslide susceptibility of gentle slopes. A peak ground acceleration of 0.24 could explain ~ 91% of the landslide scars in the area.

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Acknowledgments

Manuel Teixeira thanks Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) — the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology — for funding his Ph.D. project (SFRH/BD/110674/2015). The editor, Professor Louis N.Y. Wong and three anonymous reviewers are acknowledged for their constructive reviews. The CONDRIBER (FCT-PTDC/GEO/4430/2012) and MOWER (CTM2012-39599-C03-02) projects are gratefully acknowledged. The captain and crew of R/V Sarmiento de Gamboa are acknowledged for their assistance during the MOWER cruise. The ESRI is thanked for the provided ArcMapTM student license. The IHS is thanked for providing the Kingdom SuiteTM license. This publication is a contribution to IDL — Associated Laboratory (UIDB/GEO/50019/2020). D. Coelho, C. Ramos, A. Pinto, and C. Pinto are acknowledged for their assistance with the laboratory work. A. Mena is thanked for the provided core management support at the University of Vigo.

Funding

FCT — Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BD/110674/2015). CONDRIBER (FCT-PTDC/GEO/4430/2012) and MOWER (CTM2012-39599-C03-02) projects. FCT funded and supported Manuel Teixeira with a Ph.D. grant. The CONDRIBER project (FCT-PTDC/GEO/4430/2012) funded the acquisition of the gravity cores and geotechnical tests in the laboratory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IDL (Associated Laboratory) –Instituto Dom Luiz, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Building C1, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal

    Manuel Teixeira, Pedro Terrinha & Cristina Roque

  2. Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Building C6, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal

    Manuel Teixeira & Pedro Terrinha

  3. IPMA – Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere, Rua C do Aeroporto, 1749-077, Lisbon, Portugal

    Manuel Teixeira & Pedro Terrinha

  4. FEUP - DEC – Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal

    António Viana da Fonseca & Diana Cordeiro

  5. EMEPC – Portuguese Task Force for the Extension of the Continental Shelf, 2770-047, Paço de Arcos, Portugal

    Cristina Roque

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  1. Manuel Teixeira
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Correspondence to Manuel Teixeira.

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Teixeira, M., Viana da Fonseca, A., Cordeiro, D. et al. Geotechnical properties of Sines Contourite Drift sediments: their contribution to submarine landslide susceptibility. Bull Eng Geol Environ 81, 376 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-02873-y

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