Development and Emplacement of Ana Slide, Eivissa Channel, Western Mediterranean Sea

Submarine landslides can destroy seafloor infrastructures and generate devastating tsunamis. In spite of decades of research into the functioning of submarine landslides there are still numerous open questions, in particular how different phases of sliding influence each other. Here, we re-analyze Ana Slide-a relatively small (<1 km(3)) landslide offshore the Balearic Islands, which is unique in the published literature because it is completely imaged by high-resolution 3D reflection seismic data. Ana Slide comprises three domains: (a) a source area that is almost completely evacuated with evidence of headscarp retrogression, (b) an adjacent downslope translational domain representing a by-pass zone for the material that was mobilized in the source area, and (c) the deposit formed by the mobilized material, which accumulated downslope in a sink area and deformed slope sediment. Isochron maps show deep chaotic seismic units underneath the thickest deposits. We infer that the rapid deposition of the landslide material deformed the underlying sediments. A thin stratified sediment unit between three lobes suggests that Ana Slide evolved in two failure stages separated by several tens of thousands of years. This illustrates the problem of over-estimating the volume of mobilized material and under-estimating the complexity even of relatively simple slope failures without high-quality 3D reflection seismic data.

Automated summary

Submarine landslides can cause destruction to seafloor infrastructures and trigger devastating tsunamis. This study re-analyzes a relatively small landslide near the Balearic Islands using high-resolution 3D reflection seismic data, providing detailed images of the landslide structure. The study reveals that the landslide is composed of source areas, translational domains, and deposition areas, with the rapid deposition deforming the underlying sediments. Additionally, the study suggests that the landslide evolved in two failure stages over tens of thousands of years.