| Title | Morphological characterization of submarine slope failures in a semi-enclosed fjord, Frobisher Bay, eastern Canadian Arctic |
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| Author | Deering, R; Bell, T; Forbes, D L ; Campbell, C; Edinger, E |
| Source | Subaqueous mass movements and their consequences: assessing geohazards, environmental implications and economic significance of subaqueous landslides; by Lintern, D G (ed.); Mosher, D C (ed.); Moscardelli, L G (ed.); Bobrowsky, P T (ed.); Campbell, D C (ed.); Chaytor, J D (ed.); Clague, J J (ed.); Georgiopoulou, A (ed.); Lajeunesse,
P (ed.); Normandeau, A (ed.); Piper, D J W (ed.); Scherwath, M (ed.); Stacey, C (ed.); Turmel, D (ed.); Geological Society, Special Publication no. 477, 2018
p. 367-376, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP477.35 |
| Image |  |
| Year | 2018 |
| Alt Series | Natural Resources Canada, Contribution Series 20170352 |
| Publisher | Geological Society, London (London, UK) |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | paper; on-line; digital |
| File format | pdf (Adobe® Reader®); html |
| Program | Public Safety
Geoscience Marine Geohazards |
| Released | 2018 05 24 |
| Abstract | Submarine slope failures in the nearshore waters of SE Baffin Island, eastern Canadian Arctic, present a challenge to coastal and seabed development. Submarine slope failures are a known geohazard in
fjords in Norway, Chile, Alaska, British Columbia and elsewhere, but have received little attention in the coastal waters of Arctic Canada. Over the past 6 years, there has been a rapid expansion of multibeam echosounder (MBES) mapping in Canadian
Arctic fjords, leading to the discovery of many submarine slope failures. One area that has been mapped in detail is inner Frobisher Bay. This macrotidal, seasonally ice-covered, semi-enclosed embayment has a glacially scoured bed, ice-contact
deposits, including recessional moraines, and stratified glaciomarine and post-glacial silts and clays with abundant dropstones. The prevalence of submarine slope failures in the inner bay (one per 20 km2) appears to be anomalous. To date, MBES
mapping has imaged at least 246 failures, ranging in size from 0.007 to 2.1 km2 and all within the glaciomarine and post-glacial succession. Morphometric analysis of these features based on high-resolution MBES bathymetry provides an insight into
their spatial distribution, relative chronology, triggers and flow characteristics; factors essential to understanding the mechanisms underlying their abundance in this Canadian Arctic fjord. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
Seafloor landslides in the coastal waters of southeast Baffin Island, eastern Canadian Arctic, present a challenge to coastal and seabed development.
Submarine slope failures, a known hazard in fiords elsewhere, have received little attention in the Canadian Arctic. Over the past six years, multibeam mapping has led to the discovery of many submarine slope failures in inner Frobisher Bay. Their
prevalence in the inner bay (1 per 20 km2) appears to be anomalous. To date, the multibeam mapping has imaged at least 246 slides ranging in size from 0.007 to 2.1 km2, all within the glaciomarine and postglacial basin deposits. Morphological and
geometric analysis of these features based on high-resolution multibeam bathymetry provides insight into their spatial distribution, relative chronology, potential triggers, and flow characteristics; factors essential to understanding the mechanisms
underlying their abundance in this Canadian Arctic fiord. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 306545 |
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