Why does widespread submarine creep occur on the low-gradient continental slope of the northern South China Sea?

Gao, Weijian, Li, Wei, Alves, Tiago M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2765-3760, Jing, Song and Zhan, Wenhuan 2025. Why does widespread submarine creep occur on the low-gradient continental slope of the northern South China Sea? Marine and Petroleum Geology 180 , 107453. 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2025.107453

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Abstract

Submarine creep concerns the slow, post- or syn-depositional gravity-driven motion of continental slope strata, and may evolve into submarine landslides that are large enough to cause catastrophic tsunamis. However, compared to other slope instability features, the factors controlling submarine creep are still poorly understood. By using bathymetric data, high-quality seismic profiles and attribute maps, this study investigates the factors contributing to submarine creep on the gentle (∼1°) continental slope of the northern South China Sea. Our results demonstrate that the presence of contourite drifts was a preconditioning factor for the development of creeping strata in the study area. Fluids accumulated at the base of a broad glide plane generated the overpressure required to initiate sediment creep. Remnant strata and slide blocks reduced the seal competence of a mass-transport deposit (MTD), forming high-permeability zones in which deep-seated faults propagated towards the surface. Faults within high-permeability zones provided long-term pathways for upward-migrating fluids, enabling it to weaken the stability of shallow strata. Subsequent long-term migration and accumulation of fluids within the moat adjacent to the MTD’s high-permeability zone promoted the retrogressive propagation of the upslope glide plane. A combination of all these processes ultimately resulted in the development of a vast area of submarine creep during the Quaternary. Similar processes to these documented in South China Sea explain the onset of submarine creep phenomena on continental margins across the world.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Earth and Environmental Sciences
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: Title: This article is under embargo with an end date yet to be finalised.
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0264-8172
Date of Acceptance:	5 May 2025
Last Modified:	02 Jun 2025 11:01
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/178642

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