Collaborative Research: Geophysical Investigation of En Echelon Cracks Along the Outer Shelf Off Virginia/North Carolina: Implications for Slope Stability

PI将在为期两周的地质/地球物理调查巡航期间，使用深拖高分辨率垂直入射声纳系统，详细研究沿弗吉尼亚州和北卡罗来纳州外大陆架的沿着雁列裂缝。这些功能和地下几何形状的精确映射将有助于评估的假设，裂纹系统表明新生的斜坡故障沿着陆架边缘。这些数据以及NOAA发布的网格测深数据将提供过去灾难性故障的证据，并将导致更好地了解这些裂缝在质量浪费和随后的峡谷演变中的作用。

The PIs will study the enechelon cracks along the outer shelf of Virginia and North Carolina in detail during a two-week geological/geophysical survey cruise with a deep-towed high-resolution vertical-incidence sonar system. Accurate mapping of these features and their subsurface geometry will help evaluate the hypothesis that the crack system indicates nascent slope failure along the shelf edge. This data, as well as data released by NOAA on gridded bathymetry, will provide evidence of past catastrophic failure and will lead to a better understanding of the role of these cracks in mass wasting and subsequent canyon evolution.