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Recurrence of major flank landslides during the last 2-Ma-history of Reunion Island

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Abstract

New detailed swath bathymetry and backscatter data corroborate the existence of four large bulges on the submarine flanks of Reunion Island. These fan-shaped promontories are 20–25 km wide at the coastline and 70–150 km across the seafloor 40–50 km offshore. Their surfaces are characterized by a speckle sonar pattern, indicating the presence of large blocks up to several hundred meters across. Each bulge results from the superposition of multiple landslide deposits whose older ones are dissected and delimited by erosive channels as much as 200 m deep and 20 km long. The submarine flanks of Reunion Island are thus mostly built by accumulation of debris avalanche fans. Morphologic and geologic evidence define large subaerial source areas for these mass-wasting events. In particular, inferred headwalls of most landslides having affected the Piton des Neiges massif generally coincide with the boundaries of its “cirques” (Mafate, Salazie, and Cilaos), whereas recurrent landslides have resulted in the formation of large concentric amphitheatre structures through the Piton de la Fournaise massif. Thus, about 15 slide events accompanied growth of the Reunion Island shield since 2 Ma.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Philippe Patriat, Daniel Sauter and Marc Munschy, Chief Scientists of the Gallieni, Larjaka, and Djire cruises (1995) on board of R/V L’Atalante and IFREMER, for the preliminary processing of the data. The paper benefited from helpful reviews and comments by John Stix, Peter Lipman, and Lee Siebert.

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  1. Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans, UMR 6524 CNRS, OPGC, Université Blaise Pascal, 5 rue Kessler, 63038 , Clermont-Ferrand Cedex, France

    Jean-François Oehler, Philippe Labazuy & Jean-François Lénat

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  1. Jean-François Oehler
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  2. Philippe Labazuy
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  3. Jean-François Lénat
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Correspondence to Jean-François Oehler.

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Editorial responsibility: J. Stix

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Oehler, JF., Labazuy, P. & Lénat, JF. Recurrence of major flank landslides during the last 2-Ma-history of Reunion Island. Bull Volcanol 66, 585–598 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-004-0341-2

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