Insights into potential submarine landslide tsunamis in the South China Sea: A comparative study of the Baiyun Slide and the Brunei Slide

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linlin Li ◽  
Qiang Qiu ◽  
Fengyan Shi ◽  
Gangfeng Ma
Keyword(s):  
South China Sea ◽  
South China ◽  
Southern China ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
The South China Sea ◽  
Pearl River Mouth Basin ◽  
Submarine Landslides ◽  
The South ◽  
Tsunami Waves ◽  
China Sea

<p>We investigate the sliding dynamics of two giant submarine landslides and their tsunamigenic capacity in the South China Sea (SCS) region: the Baiyun slide in the Pearl River Mouth Basin and the Brunei Slide in Northwest offshore Brunei. The two slides have comparable sizes with the estimated volumes of 1035 km<sup>3</sup> for Baiyun Slide versus 1200 km<sup>3</sup> for Brunei Slide and areas of 5500 km<sup>2</sup> versus 5300 km<sup>2</sup>. Based on the available geophysical observations, we construct hypothetical scenarios for both slides. By treating the slides as translational mudflow, we are able to reproduce the observed run-out distribution of the Baiyun Slide. The sliding speeds of the failed material could reach 25~35 m/s in both slide events. Both slides could generate devastating tsunamis in the SCS although the tsunamigenic capacity of the Brunei Slide is significantly larger than the Baiyun Slide. Through a series of numerical experiments, we demonstrate that the steepness of the slope and initial water depth of the slides play the key role of determining their tsunamigenic capacity. The tsunami generated by the Baiyun Slide mainly affects the northern part of the SCS. Coastlines including the southern China, central Vietnam, western Philippines suffer the highest tsunami waves.  The tsunami waves generated by the Brunei Slide causes significant impact in northern coasts of Borneo Island, coasts of central and southern Vietnam and Palawan.</p>

scholarly journals Giant Submarine Landslide in the South China Sea: Evidence, Causes, and Implications

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaoqi Zhu ◽  
Sheng Cheng ◽  
Qingping Li ◽  
Hongxian Shan ◽  
Jing’an Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South China Sea ◽  
South China ◽  
The South China Sea ◽  
Pearl River Mouth Basin ◽  
Submarine Landslides ◽  
The South ◽  
Abrupt Decrease ◽  
Submarine Slide ◽  
China Sea ◽  
Himalayan Orogeny

Submarine landslides can be tremendous in scale. They are one of the most important processes for global sediment fluxes and tsunami generation. However, studies of prodigious submarine landslides remain insufficient. In this review paper, we compile, summarize, and reanalyze the results of previous studies. Based on this reanalysis, we discover the giant Baiyun–Liwan submarine slide in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea. We describe three concurrent pieces of evidence from ~23 Ma to 24 Ma, the Oligocene–Miocene boundary, for this landslide: the shoreward shift of the shelf break in the Baiyun Sag, the slump deposition to the southeast, and the abrupt decrease in the accumulation rate on the lower continental slope. This landslide extends for over 250 km, and the total affected area of the slide is up to ~35,000–40,000 km2. The scale of the landslide is similar to that of the Storegga slide, which has long been considered to be the largest landslide on earth. We suggest that strike–slip movement along the Red River Fault and ridge jump of the South China Sea caused the coeval Baiyun–Liwan submarine slide. The identification of the giant landslide will promote the understanding of not only its associated geohazards but also the steep rise of the Himalayan orogeny and marine engineering. More attention needs to be paid to areas with repeated submarine landslides and offshore installations.

Sedimentary responses to the Pleistocene climatic variations recorded in the South China Sea

2007 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 162-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sébastien Boulay ◽  
Christophe Colin ◽  
Alain Trentesaux ◽  
Stéphane Clain ◽  
Zhifei Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
South China Sea ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
South China ◽  
East Asian Monsoon ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
The South China Sea ◽  
The South ◽  
China Sea ◽  
Sea Level Variations

AbstractGrain-size analyses, coupled with end-member modelling, have been performed on the terrigenous fraction of two Leg 184 Ocean Drilling Program sites (1144 and 1146) from the South China Sea. The grain-size distributions over the last 1.8 Ma enable a new interpretation of their connections to sea-level variations and East Asian monsoon strength. Previous investigations in this area have associated grain-size variability with enhanced eolian input during glacial stages. End-member modelling downgrades the importance of this eolian contribution and indicates that the sediments can be described as a mixture of three end-members: fluvial mud inputs, shelf reworking and river mouth migration. Grain-size variations in the Pleistocene section of the cores indicate a multiple-stage evolution: (i) from 1.8 to 1.25 Ma, the downcore grain-size variations are low but show a correspondence between monsoon rainfall intensity and the fine grain-sized fluvial inputs; no link with sea-level variations is noticeable; (ii) from 1.25 to 0.9 Ma, there is an increase (decrease) in the intermediate (fine) end-member (∼ 100 kyr cycle) that is associated with the onset of a stronger summer monsoon and modest shelf reworking; (iii) from 0.9 to 0 Ma the grain-size record is dominated by global sea-level variations; each glacial stage is associated with extensive shelf reworking and conveyance of coarse particles to the basin.

scholarly journals How can 30–60-day ISO move from the South China Sea to Southern China?

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 3613-3626
Author(s):  
Bin Zheng ◽  
Yanyan Huang ◽  
Chunhui Li ◽  
Ailan Lin
Keyword(s):  
South China Sea ◽  
South China ◽  
Southern China ◽  
The South China Sea ◽  
The South ◽  
China Sea
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