scholarly journals Slow build-up of turbidity currents triggered by a moderate earthquake in the Sea of Marmara

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Henry ◽  
Sinan Özeren ◽  
Nurettin Yakupoğlu ◽  
Ziyadin Çakir ◽  
Emmanuel de Saint-Léger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Resuspension ◽  
Turbidity Current ◽  
Turbidity Currents ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
Sea Of Marmara ◽  
Sedimentary Records ◽  
Strong Current ◽  
Moderate Earthquake ◽  
Basin Floor ◽  
Hydrodynamic Processes

Abstract. Earthquake-induced submarine slope destabilization is known to cause debris flows and turbidity currents, but the hydrodynamic processes associated with these events remain poorly understood. Records are scarce and this notably limits our ability to interpret marine paleoseismological sedimentary records. An instrumented frame comprising a pressure recorder and a Doppler recording current meter deployed at the seafloor in the Sea of Marmara Central Basin recorded consequences of a MW = 5.8 earthquake occurring Sept 26, 2019 and of a Mw = 4.7 foreshock two days before. The smaller event caused sediment resuspension but no strong current. The larger event triggered a complex response involving a mud flow and turbidity currents with variable velocities and orientations, which may result from multiple slope failures. A long delay of 10 hours is observed between the earthquake and the passing of the strongest turbidity current. The distance travelled by the sediment particles during the event is estimated to several kilometres, which could account for a local deposit on a sediment fan at the outlet of a canyon, but not for the covering of the whole basin floor. We show that after a moderate earthquake, delayed turbidity current initiation may occur, possibly by ignition of a cloud of resuspended sediment. Some caution is thus required when tying seismoturbidites with earthquakes of historical importance. However, the horizontal extent of the deposits should remain indicative of the size of the earthquake.

Slow build-up of turbid currents triggered by a moderate earthquake in the Sea of Marmara

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Henry ◽  
M Sinan Özeren ◽  
Nurettin Yakupoğlu ◽  
Ziyadin Çakir ◽  
Emmanuel de Saint-Léger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Sensor ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Background Level ◽  
Signal Strength ◽  
Normal Operation ◽  
Turbidity Currents ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
Sea Of Marmara ◽  
Moderate Earthquake ◽  
Mud Flow

<p>Earthquake-induced submarine slope destabilization is known to cause debris flows and turbidity currents. These also interact with currents caused by tsunami and seiches resulting in deposits with specific sedimentological characteristics, turbidite-homogenites being a common example. Data on the deep-sea hydrodynamic events following earthquakes are, however, limited. An instrumented frame deployed at the seafloor in the Sea of Marmara Central Basin recorded some of the consequences of a magnitude 5.8 earthquake that occurred Sept 26, 2019 at 10-12 km depth without causing any significant tsunami. The instrumentation comprises a Digiquartz® pressure sensor recording at 5 s interval and a 1.9-2 MHz Doppler recording current meter set 1.5 m above the seafloor and recording at 1-hour interval. The device was deployed at 1184 m depth on the floor of the basin near the outlet of a canyon, 5 km from the epicenter. Chirp sediment sounder profiles indicate a depositional fan or lobe is present at this location. The passing of the seismic wave was recorded by the pressure sensor, but little other perturbation is recorded until 25 minutes later when the instrument, probably hit by a mud flow, tilts by 65° in about 15 seconds. Over the following 10 hours the tilted instrument records bursts of current of variable directions. The last burst appears to be the strongest with velocities in the 20-50 cm/s range, causing enough erosion to free the device from the mud and allowing the buoyancy attached to the upper part of the frame to straighten it back to its normal operation position. Then, the current, flowing down along the canyon axis, progressively decays to background level (≈2 cm/s) in 8 hours. Doppler signal backscatter strength is a proxy for turbidity, sensitive to sand-size suspended particles. Signal strength increased to high values during the event (max -7.6 dB from a background value of -40dB) and decayed over the next three days. These observations show that even a moderate earthquake can trigger a complex response involving mud flows and turbidity currents. We infer simultaneous slope failures at various locations may produce complex current patterns and cause build-up of kinetic energy over several hours.</p>

scholarly journals Supplementary material to "Slow build-up of turbidity currents triggered by a moderate earthquake in the Sea of Marmara"

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Henry ◽  
Sinan Özeren ◽  
Nurettin Yakupoğlu ◽  
Ziyadin Çakir ◽  
Emmanuel de Saint-Léger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Turbidity Currents ◽  
Sea Of Marmara ◽  
Moderate Earthquake ◽  
Supplementary Material

scholarly journals Application of the adjoint approach to optimise the initial conditions of a turbidity current

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel D. Parkinson ◽  
Simon W. Funke ◽  
Jon Hill ◽  
Matthew D. Piggott ◽  
Peter A. Allison
Keyword(s):  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Current Model ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Turbidity Current ◽  
Significant Advance ◽  
Turbidity Currents ◽  
General Behaviour ◽  
Depositional Processes ◽  
Sediment Deposits ◽  
Adjoint Approach

Abstract. Turbidity currents are one of the main drivers for sediment transport from the continental shelf to the deep ocean. The resulting sediment deposits can reach hundreds of kilometres into the ocean. Computer models that simulate turbidity currents and the resulting sediment deposit can help to understand their general behaviour. However, in order to recreate real-world scenarios, the challenge is to find the turbidity current parameters that reproduce the observations of sediment deposits. This paper demonstrates a solution to the inverse sediment transportation problem: for a known sedimentary deposit, the developed model reconstructs details about the turbidity current that produced these deposits. The reconstruction is constrained here by a shallow water sediment-laden density current model, which is discretised by the finite element method and an adaptive time-stepping scheme. The model is differentiated using the adjoint approach and an efficient gradient-based optimisation method is applied to identify turbidity parameters which minimise the misfit between modelled and observed field sediment deposits. The capabilities of this approach are demonstrated using measurements taken in the Miocene-age Marnoso Arenacea Formation (Italy). We find that whilst the model cannot match the deposit exactly due to limitations in the physical processes simulated, it provides valuable insights into the depositional processes and represents a significant advance in our toolset for interpreting turbidity current deposits.

scholarly journals Modeling of Breaching-Generated Turbidity Currents Using Large Eddy Simulation

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 728
Author(s):  
Said Alhaddad ◽  
Lynyrd de Wit ◽  
Robert Jan Labeur ◽  
Wim Uijttewaal
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Numerical Model ◽  
Large Eddy Simulation ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Turbidity Current ◽  
Turbidity Currents ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Failure Evolution ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Flow Slides

Breaching flow slides result in a turbidity current running over and directly interacting with the eroding, submarine slope surface, thereby promoting further sediment erosion. The investigation and understanding of this current are crucial, as it is the main parameter influencing the failure evolution and fate of sediment during the breaching phenomenon. In contrast to previous numerical studies dealing with this specific type of turbidity currents, we present a 3D numerical model that simulates the flow structure and hydrodynamics of breaching-generated turbidity currents. The turbulent behavior in the model is captured by large eddy simulation (LES). We present a set of numerical simulations that reproduce particular, previously published experimental results. Through these simulations, we show the validity, applicability, and advantage of the proposed numerical model for the investigation of the flow characteristics. The principal characteristics of the turbidity current are reproduced well, apart from the layer thickness. We also propose a breaching erosion model and validate it using the same series of experimental data. Quite good agreement is observed between the experimental data and the computed erosion rates. The numerical results confirm that breaching-generated turbidity currents are self-accelerating and indicate that they evolve in a self-similar manner.

Effects of tributary inflow and sediment input on reservoir turbidity current formation and evolution

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yining Sun ◽  
Ji Li ◽  
Zhixian Cao ◽  
Alistair G.L. Borthwick
Keyword(s):  
Yellow River ◽  
Sediment Concentration ◽  
Turbidity Current ◽  
Turbidity Currents ◽  
Front Speed ◽  
Sediment Input ◽  
Formation And Evolution ◽  
Maximum Utilization

<p>For reservoirs built on a hyper-concentrated river, tributary inflow and sediment input may affect the formation and evolution of reservoir turbidity current, and accordingly bed morphology. However, the understanding of tributary effects on reservoir turbidity currents has remained poor. Here a series of laboratory-scale reservoir turbidity currents are investigated using a coupled 2D double layer-averaged shallow water hydro-sediment-morphodynamic model. It is shown that the tributary location may lead to distinctive effects on reservoir turbidity current. Clear-water flow from the tributary may cause the stable plunge point to migrate upstream, and reduce its front speed. Sediment-laden inflow from the tributary may increase the discharge, sediment concentration, and front speed of the turbidity current, and also cause the plunge point to migrate downstream when the tributary is located upstream of the plunge point. In contrast, if the tributary is located downstream of the plunge point, sediment-laden flow from the tributary causes the stable plunge point to migrate upstream, and while the tributary effects on discharge, sediment concentration, and front speed of the turbidity current are minor. A case study is presented as of the Guxian Reservoir (under planning) on the middle Yellow River, China. The present finding highlights the significance of tributary inflow and sediment input in the formation and propagation of reservoir turbidity current and also riverbed deformation. Appropriate account of tributary effects is warranted for long-term maintenance of reservoir capacity and maximum utilization of the reservoir.</p>

scholarly journals ANALYZING FLOW ENERGY POTENTIAL OF THE BOSPHORUS STRAIT

2018 ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
Mehmet Özturk ◽  
Cihan Sahin ◽  
Yalcin Yuksel
Keyword(s):  
Black Sea ◽  
Lower Layer ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Sea Of Marmara ◽  
Energy Potential ◽  
Flow Energy ◽  
Strong Current ◽  
Layered Flow ◽  
Current Flows ◽  
Current Energy

Ocean currents represent a potentially notable, currently untapped, reservoir of energy. The regions with strong current velocities such as narrow straits connecting two water bodies exhibit high current energy (power) potential especially where the water depths are relatively shallow (EECA, 2009). The Bosphorus, connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, is a typical narrow sea strait that generally exhibits a two-layered flow pattern: the upper layer current flows south towards the Sea of Marmara while the underlying current flows in opposite direction towards the Black Sea (Yüksel et al., 2008). The predominant mechanisms for the upper and lower layer flows are the higher water level of the Black Sea and the denser water of the Sea of Marmara, respectively.

Essai d'interpretation du mecanisme des courants de turbidite

1962 ◽  
Vol S7-IV (6) ◽  
pp. 849-856
Author(s):  
Wladimir D. Nesteroff
Keyword(s):  
Fine Sand ◽  
Turbidity Current ◽  
Abyssal Plain ◽  
Upper Ocean ◽  
Turbidity Currents ◽  
Current Pulses ◽  
Coarse To Fine

Abstract When the mechanism of turbidity currents was first proposed, it was thought that ooze deposits, which alternated with coarse to fine sand, were deposited on abyssal plains by pelagic sedimentation between turbidity current pulses. Later it was thought that concentrations of calcareous bioclastic material in the upper part of the ooze pointed to turbidity current deposition of the sand and lower part of the ooze, with only the upper ooze a result of pelagic sedimentation. Because CaCO <sub>3</sub> tests dissolve in sinking, no calcareous tests of upper ocean origin are found below 5500 to 5600 m. However, a study of terrigenous turbidites from abyssal plain samples taken at depths exceeding 5900 m which follow the sand to ooze sequence with foraminiferal concentrations in the upper ooze demonstrate that the beds are turbidite alone. It is hypothesized that any pelagic deposits forming between turbidity currents would be eroded away at the beginning of each pulse and that the fossil concentrations in the upper ooze result from delayed settling of the gas or protoplasm filled tests.

Three-dimensional numerical simulation of the turbidity current on a flume slope

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruoyin Zhang ◽  
Baosheng Wu ◽  
Y. Joseph Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Transport ◽  
Open Channel ◽  
Sediment Concentration ◽  
Turbidity Current ◽  
Turbidity Currents ◽  
Concentration Profiles ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Densimetric Froude Number ◽  
Plunge Depth ◽  
Inflow Conditions

<p>Density-driven gravity flows frequently occur in nature, due to density difference between inflowing and ambient water. When a sediment-laden flow reaches the backwater zone of a reservoir, with a greater density than the ambient waters, an underflow can occur along steep bottom slopes. The formation and evolution of an underflow depend on various natural conditions. It is necessary and crucial for reservoir management to understand the dynamics and prediction of the turbidity currents. In addition to field investigation and laboratory experiments, numerical models are gaining popularity for solving open-channel flows and sediment transport processes such as turbidity currents in reservoirs.</p><p>SCHISM (Semi-implicit Cross-scale Hydroscience Integrated System Model) is a 3D seamless cross-scale model grounded on unstructured grids for hydrodynamics and ecosystem dynamics. A general set of governing equations are used for the flow and tracer transport, and a new higher-order implicit advection scheme for transport (TVD<sup>2</sup>) is proposed. A mixed triangular-quadrangular horizontal grid and a highly flexible vertical grid system are developed in the model to faithfully represent complex geometry and topography of environmental flows in open channel cases. SCHISM has found a wide range of cross-scale applications worldwide including general circulation, storm surges, sediment transport and so on. However, the feasibility of simulating turbidity currents caused by sediment-laden flows in a reservoir is rarely validated. In this study, SCHISM is applied to a lab experiment to simulate the turbidity currents on a flume slope to examine how the model predicts the hydraulic characteristics of turbidity currents in a reservoir.</p><p>Model results can describe the process of the turbidity current plunging beneath the free surface with the time step of 0.1s. It is relatively uncommon in previous studies to clearly show the evolution of the velocity and sediment concentration profiles in such a short time step. The simulated velocity and sediment concentration profiles of the turbidity currents match well with the measured profiles at the cross section downstream of the plunge point. The calculated depth-averaged velocity, thickness, and depth-averaged concentration of the turbidity current all agree well with the measured values. The correlation coefficient between the measured and calculated values is 0.92, 0.95, and 0.94, respectively. Also, the densimetric Froude number of the stable plunge point is found to be approximately 0.54 in this study, which is between 0.5 and 0.8 based on previous research. The plunge depth is smaller with higher sediment concentration and smaller discharge of the inflow. Besides, the ratio of plunge depth to inlet depth is proportional to the densimetric Froude number of inflow conditions. This finding can be used to predict the depth and location of the plunge point based on the inflow conditions in a reservoir, which has great practical implications in reservoir management. Our results demonstrated that SCHISM is generally applicable to simulate the turbidity currents in small-scale water environments, and has the potential to be adopted in large-scale open water environments.</p>

scholarly journals Environmental Conditions in a Carpathian Deep Sea Basin During the Period Preceding Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 - A Case Study from the Skole Nappe

2015 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 433-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Bąk ◽  
Marta Bąk ◽  
Zbigniew Górny ◽  
Anna Wolska
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Silica Content ◽  
Turbidity Currents ◽  
Ecological Groups ◽  
Deep Basin ◽  
Oceanic Anoxic Event ◽  
Plankton Production ◽  
Basin Floor

Abstract Hemipelagic green clayey shales and thin muddy turbidites accumulated in a deep sea environment below the CCD in the Skole Basin, a part of the Outer Carpathian realm, during the Middle Cenomanian. The hemipelagites contain numerous radiolarians, associated with deep-water agglutinated foraminifera. These sediments accumulated under mesotrophic conditions with limited oxygen concentration. Short-term periodic anoxia also occurred during that time. Muddy turbidity currents caused deposition of siliciclastic and biogenic material, including calcareous foramini-fers and numerous sponge spicules. The preservation and diversity of the spicules suggests that they originate from disarticulation of moderately diversified sponge assemblages, which lived predominantly in the neritic-bathyal zone. Analyses of radiolarian ecological groups and pellets reflect the water column properties during the sedimentation of green shales. At that time, surface and also intermediate waters were oxygenated enough and sufficiently rich in nutri-ents to enable plankton production. Numerous, uncompacted pellets with nearly pristine radiolarian skeletons inside show that pelletization was the main factor of radiolarian flux into the deep basin floor. Partly dissolved skeletons indicate that waters in the Skole Basin were undersaturated in relation to silica content. Oxygen content might have been depleted in the deeper part of the water column causing periodic anoxic conditions which prevent rapid bacterial degra-dation of the pellets during their fall to the sea floor.

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