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- Exploring offshore sediment evidence of the 1755 CE tsunami (Faro, Portugal): implications for the study of outer shelf tsunami depositsPublication . Kümmerer, Vincent; Drago, Teresa; Veiga-Pires, C.; Silva, Pedro; Magalhaes, Vitor; Mena, Anxo; Lopes, Ana; Rodrigues, Ana Isabel; Schmidt, Sabine; Terrinha, Pedro; Baptista, Maria AnaOuter shelf sedimentary records are promising for determining the recurrence intervals of tsunamis. However, compared to onshore deposits, offshore deposits are more difficult to access, and so far, studies of outer shelf tsunami deposits are scarce. Here, an example of studying these deposits is presented to infer implications for tsunami-related signatures in similar environments and potentially contribute to pre-historic tsunami event detections. A multidisciplinary approach was performed to detect the sedimentary imprints left by the 1755 CE tsunami in two cores, located in the southern Portuguese continental shelf at water depths of 58 and 91 m. Age models based on C-14 and Pb-210(xs) allowed a probable correspondence with the 1755 CE tsunami event. A multi-proxy approach, including sand composition, grain-size, inorganic geochemistry, magnetic susceptibility, and microtextural features on quartz grain surfaces, yielded evidence for a tsunami depositional signature, although only a subtle terrestrial signal is present. A low contribution of terrestrial material to outer shelf tsunami deposits calls for methodologies that reveal sedimentary structures linked to tsunami event hydrodynamics. Finally, a change in general sedimentation after the tsunami event might have influenced the signature of the 1755 CE tsunami in the outer shelf environment.
- The Tagus River delta landslide, off Lisbon, Portugal. Implications for Marine geo-hazardsPublication . Terrinha, Pedro; Duarte, Henrique; Brito, Pedro; Noiva, João; Ribeiro, Carlos; Omira, Rachid; Baptista, Maria Ana Carvalho Viana; Miranda, Miguel; Magalhaes, Vitor; Roque, C.; Rosa, Marcos; Alves, Paulo; Teixeira, Francisco; Tagusdelta Cruise TeamThe stratigraphy of the Tagus river ebb-tidal delta off Lisbon (Portugal) is investigated using high resolution multichannel seismic reflection profiles with the purpose of searching for sedimentary or erosive features associated with landslides. The Tagus delta is sub-divided in two prograding seismic units of 17 ky to 13 ky and 13 ky to Present based on the calibration of seismic lines using gravity and box-cores in the Tagus pro-delta. We report the existence of a buried landslide with 11 km of length, 3.5 km of width and a maximum thickness of 20 m that accounted for the collapse of half of the upper unit of the Tagus river delta front in Holocene times. The non-collapsed half of the delta front contains extensive shallow gas of still unknown origin and nature. An estimated age of similar to 8 ky BP for the Tagus delta landslide is proposed based on stratigraphic correlation. The trigger mechanisms of the newly identified Tagus landslide are discussed as well as of the several landslides also found in the lower delta unit. These findings present a first step towards a future assessment of the susceptibility of the nearby coastal areas and the off-shore infrastructures to hazards related to such large collapses.
- The Late Pleistocene-Holocene sedimentary evolution of the Sines Contourite Drift (SW Portuguese Margin): A multiproxy approachPublication . Teixeira, Manuel; Terrinha, Pedro; Roque, Cristina; Voelker, Antje H. L.; Silva, Pedro; Salgueiro, Emília; Abrantes, F; Naughton, F.; Mena, Anxo; Ercilla, Gemma; D.casasThe Sines Contourite Drift (SCD), located in the Alentejo margin, southwest Iberian continental margin, has been through many depositional phases in result of dimatic variations and bottom current oscillations, which determined a variable depositional pattern and an irregular sedimentary evolution since the Late Pleistocene. The SCD, being in the main path of the Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW), which greatly constrains the sedimentary building of this drift, constitutes the distal part of the Gulf of Cadiz Contourite Depositional System and its sedimentary evolution therefore reflects the history of MOW variations. In order to investigate this, we report on a multiproxy analysis of grain-size, carbon content and physical, geochemical, and environmental-magnetic properties on the AMS C-14 dated 350-an long gravity core CO14-GC-07, retrieved in the SCD, at 1425 meters water depth (mwd). The main objective is to reconstruct the evolution of the sedimentary package of the SCD from >43 cal kyr BP to Present and bring new insights about the impact of bottom currents' activity on the morphosedimentary evolution of the margin. Results show the existence of four distinct depositional phases in response to climate variations and bottom current oscillations during the Late Pleistocene-Holocene. Phase 1 (350-322 cm: >42.9 cal kyr BP) occurred in Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 and presents silty-muddy sediments with presence of shell fragments and moderate bioturbation. Phase 2 (322-176 cm: >42.9-similar to 30.5 cal kyr BP), which lasted from middle MIS 3 to the onset of MIS 2, reveals sediment coarsening towards the top limit, suggesting climate cooling and strong bottom current winnowing. Phase 3 (176-144 cm: similar to 30.5-17.1 cal kyr BP) covers most of MIS 2 prior to the last deglaciation and shows the sharpest variations on all sediment properties and the coarsest sediment facies, with Fe-rich layers associated with the increase of lerrigenous input and sea-level regression that coincide with the enhancement of MOW. Phase 4 (144-0 cm: <17.1 cal kyr BP) is associated with the degladal sea-level rise and represents a calmer depositional environment with finer sediments and increasing contributions of biogenic material. The MOW is the most prominent bottom current and the most active seabed shaping agent in the study area, whose vertical shifting during glacial (similar to 800-2200 mwd) and interglacial (600-1500 mwd) periods is coincident with the most active morphosedimentary sector of the area, contributing to the development of landslide scars and sediment waves.