Investigating the Basal Shear Zone of the Submarine Tuaheni Landslide Complex, New Zealand: A Core‐Log‐Seismic Integration Study

Although submarine landslides have been studied for decades, a persistent challenge is the integration of diverse geoscientific datasets to characterize failure processes. We present a core‐log‐seismic integration study of the Tuaheni Landslide Complex to investigate intact sediments beneath the undeformed seafloor as well as post‐failure landslide deposits. Beneath the undeformed seafloor are coherent reflections underlain by a weakly‐reflective and chaotic seismic unit. This chaotic unit is characterized by variable shear strength that correlates with density fluctuations. The basal shear zone of the Tuaheni landslide likely exploited one (or more) of the low shear strength intervals. Within the landslide deposits is a widespread “Intra‐debris Reflector”, previously interpreted as the landslide's basal shear zone. This reflector is a subtle impedance drop around the boundary between upper and lower landslide units. However, there is no pronounced shear strength change across this horizon. Rather, there is a pronounced reduction in shear strength ∼10–15 m above the Intra‐debris Reflector that presumably represents an induced weak layer that developed during failure. Free gas accumulates beneath some regions of the landslide and is widespread deeper in the sedimentary sequence, suggesting that free gas may have played a role in pre‐conditioning the slope to failure. Additional pre‐conditioning or failure triggers could have been seismic shaking and associated transient fluid pressure. Our study underscores the importance of detailed core‐log‐seismic integration approaches for investigating basal shear zone development in submarine landslides.

Plain Language Summary: Submarine landslides move enormous amounts of sediment across the seafloor and have the potential to generate damaging tsunamis. To understand how submarine landslides develop, we need to be able to image and sample beneath the seafloor in regions where landslides have occurred. To image beneath the seafloor we generate sound waves in the ocean and record reflections from those waves, enabling us to produce “seismic images” of sediment layers and structures beneath the seafloor. We then use scientific drilling to sample the sediment layers and measure physical properties. In this study, we combine seismic images and drilling results to investigate a submarine landslide east of New Zealand's North Island. Drilling next to the landslide revealed a ∼25 m‐thick layer of sediment (from ∼75–95 m below the seafloor) that has strong variations in sediment strength and density. We infer that intervals of relatively low strength within this layer developed into the main sliding surface of the landslide. Additionally, results from within the landslide suggest that the process of landslide emplacement has induced a zone of weak sediments closer to the seafloor. Our study demonstrates how combining seismic images and drilling data helps to understand submarine landslide processes.

Key Points:

We integrate scientific drilling data with seismic reflection data to investigate the submarine Tuaheni Landslide Complex.

Basal shear zone of the landslide likely exploited a relatively low shear strength interval within an older (buried) mass transport deposit.

Landslide emplacement seems to have induced an additional weak zone that is shallower than the interpreted base of the landslide deposit.