What causes underwater landslides?
There are several possible triggers for underwater landslides. • Earthquakes – gwhen ground motion results in surface rupture • Sediment loading – when steep slopes become loaded with too much sediment • Sea level changes – when changes in sea level cause sediments or methane hydrates to become unstable • Gas hydrates – when methane hydrates buried in the continental shelf become unstable and result in a blow-out Geologist Neil Driscoll and geophysicist Jeff Babcock have focused research on gas hydrates as a possible trigger. At the Ocean Institute Coming soon.
