Wang Xingxing, Maselli Vittorio, Flessati Luca, Wang Hongbin, Sun Zhilei, Wang Qing, Chen Jie, Li Qing, Alberti Stefano, Kienast Markus, Xie Shucheng, Sun Qiliang
Hubei Key Laboratory of Marine Geological Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China.
Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China.
Nat Commun. 2025 Aug 6;16(1):7244. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-62493-4.
Low-strength sediment layers within continental slope strata precondition submarine sediment for failure, potentially leading to destructive tsunamis. Using geophysical and Ocean Drilling Program well data, here we show that the glide planes of widespread submarine failures in the northern South China Sea, dated to the glacial stages following the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, have higher opal content, particle size, and porosity, which reduce the undrained shear strength. Cyclic weak-layer deposition, modulated at Milankovitch time scale, was controlled by increased ocean primary productivity and sedimentation rates linked to high-amplitude sea-level fluctuations and intensified winter monsoons. This study represents an important step forward for understanding how climate influences the formation of weak layers and the stability of continental slope globally.
大陆坡地层内的低强度沉积层使海底沉积物具备了发生破坏的条件，有可能引发具有破坏性的海啸。利用地球物理和大洋钻探计划的井数据，我们在此表明，南海北部广泛存在的海底滑坡的滑动面可追溯到中更新世转型期之后的冰期阶段，这些滑动面具有更高的蛋白石含量、粒度和孔隙率，这降低了不排水抗剪强度。以米兰科维奇时间尺度调制的周期性弱层沉积，受海洋初级生产力增加以及与高振幅海平面波动和冬季风增强相关的沉积速率控制。这项研究是在理解气候如何影响全球弱层形成和大陆坡稳定性方面向前迈出的重要一步。
