Structural Relationships Across the Sevier Gravity Slide of Southwest Utah and Implications for Catastrophic Translation and Emplacement Processes of Long Runout Landslides

The physical processes that facilitate long-distance translation of large-volume gravity slides remain poorly understood. To better understand these processes and the controls on runout distance, we conducted an outcrop and microstructural characterization of the Sevier gravity slide across the former land surface and summarize findings of four key sites. The Sevier gravity slide is the oldest of three mega-scale (>1,000 km(2)) collapse events of the Marysvale volcanic field (Utah, USA). Field observations of intense deformation, clastic dikes, pseudotachylyte, and consistency of kinematic indicators support the interpretation of rapid emplacement during a single event. Furthermore, clastic dikes and characteristics of the slip zone suggest emplacement involved mobilization and pressurized injection of basal material. Across the runout distance, we observe evidence for progressive slip delocalization along the slide base. This manifests as centimeter- to decimeter-thick cataclastic basal zones and abundant clastic dikes in the north and tens of meters thick basal zones characterized by widespread deformation of both slide blocks and underlying rock near the southern distal end of the gravity slide. Superimposed on this transition are variations in basal zone characteristics and slide geometry arising from interactions between slide blocks during dynamic wear and deposition processes and pre-existing topography of the former land surface. These observations are synthesized into a conceptual model in which the presence of highly pressurized fluids reduced the frictional resistance to sliding during the emplacement of the Sevier gravity slide, and basal zone evolution controlled the effectiveness of dynamic weakening mechanisms across the former land surface.

Automated summary

This study conducted field observations and microstructural characterization of the Sevier gravity slide to better understand the physical processes and controls on runout distance. The findings suggest rapid emplacement during a single event, involving mobilization and pressurized injection of basal material. Evidence of slip delocalization and variations in basal zone characteristics and slide geometry were observed, indicating the presence of highly pressurized fluids and the importance of basal zone evolution in dynamic weakening mechanisms.