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image/svg+xml Jakob Voss, based on art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina and Beao Closed Access logo, derived from PLoS Open Access logo. This version with transparent background. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Closed_Access_logo_transparent.svg Jakob Voss, based on art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina and Beao Sedimentologyarrow_drop_down
image/svg+xml Jakob Voss, based on art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina and Beao Closed Access logo, derived from PLoS Open Access logo. This version with transparent background. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Closed_Access_logo_transparent.svg Jakob Voss, based on art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina and Beao
Sedimentology
Article . 2026 . Peer-reviewed
License: Wiley Online Library User Agreement
Data sources: Crossref
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The role of submarine landslides in the initiation and evolution of moat–drift contourite systems

Authors: Yuxiang Yang; Wei Li; Tiago M. Alves; Song Jing; Michele Rebesco; Jin Yang;

The role of submarine landslides in the initiation and evolution of moat–drift contourite systems

Abstract

ABSTRACT Moat–drift contourite systems, formed by interaction of alongslope bottom currents with bathymetric features, provide critical insights into palaeoceanographic changes. However, the role of submarine landslides in their initiation and evolution remains poorly understood. To investigate these processes, this study utilises multibeam bathymetric and three‐dimensional seismic data from the Baiyun Slide, located in the northern South China Sea. The findings reveal a 600‐m‐wide, 50‐m‐deep moat incised along the steep escarpment of the Baiyun Slide headwall, flanked by a ~50‐m‐thick sediment drift. We propose that the landslide‐induced escarpment acted as a bathymetric obstacle, locally intensifying bottom‐current velocities and promoting flow turbulence and erosion, which facilitated moat formation. In contrast, in areas distant from the escarpment, reduced current velocities allowed for deposition of resuspended sediments, forming the drift deposits that fill the slide scar. While the surrounding slope is dominated by gravity‐driven downslope sedimentary processes, the landslide‐generated escarpment reconfigured the local depositional system, enabling the formation of a slide‐controlled secondary contourite system driven by bottom currents. This system, confined within the negative topography of the slide scar, represents a spatial shift in sedimentation from a regional downslope to a localised alongslope control. As a corollary, we present a conceptual model illustrating how submarine landslides can reshape seafloor morphology to drive bottom current‐induced sedimentation in otherwise gravity‐dominated deep‐marine environments. This study highlights slide‐controlled moat–drift contourite systems as significant components of deep‐water sedimentary archives, capable of recording dynamic interactions between bottom currents and seafloor topography.

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
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