Deslizamientos submarinos recientes en la Cresta de Alborán (Mar de Alborán)

Abstract

From swath bathymetry data and high-resolution acoustic profiles (TOPAS) several slides have been imaged in the Alboran Ridge in the western Mediterranean. This submarine relief is the most prominent morphological feature (> 130 km in length) in the Alboran Sea and its elongated SW-NE shape results is enhanced from the recent convergence between the African and Eurasian plates. The identified gravitational deposits show transparent and chaotic facies, and appear in depths ranging between 640 and 1810 m. Occurrence of slides deposits along fault escarpments affecting the seafloor reveals that submarine instability processes are mainly controlled by tectonics. Mass-transport deposits are generally composed by several overhead lobes of sediments. These observations suggest collectively that instability processes are frequent and may be related with faulting pulses. Instability processes represent therefore a geological risk in the region that should be surveyed and analyzed in the future