Shelf architecture and submarine landsliding at Gela Basin (Strait of Sicily)

Abstract

The investigation of processes and mechanisms involved in the destabilisation of submarine slopes is a subject of intense research. However, key parameters controlling sediment instabilities are largely dependent on a multitude of environmental parameters and have to be assessed individually for each case study. In this context, it is not only important to answer questions about the spatial distribution of submarine landsliding, but as well about their temporal evolution and response to changes in environmental conditions - a task that is indispensable not only for the understanding of sedimentary processes but also for landslide-related risk assessment. This thesis aims to address this gap by studying frequent failure on a shallow-shelf setting at Gela Basin on the southern continental shelf of Sicily. It integrates high-resolution acoustic datasets and drilled core material in order to address (1) the role of climatic fluctuations in shaping the sedimentary architecture and associated depositional processes (2) the timing and recurrence of landslide events, especially with regard to the governing environmental conditions, and (3) the mechanisms of failure including the evaluation of predisposing factors and trigger mechanisms.