TURBOMUD · Mud volcanism and turbidites occurrence as joint tools to identify paleoearthquakes in the Gulf of Cadiz and adjacent abyssal plains

Mud volcanism and turbidites occurrence as joint tools to identify paleoearthquakes in the Gulf of Cadiz and adjacent abyssal plains

Event stratigraphy, a relatively new branch of marine geology research, has rapidly expanded since its inception, helping to extend extreme events catalogues globally. Its contribution to detecting historical and geological extreme events has addressed one of the most pressing challenges in modern geology: understanding the recurrence of high-magnitude catastrophic natural hazards and improving our ability to predict them. By enhancing the characterization of these hazards—such as estimating the magnitude and recurrence intervals of major events—we can better mitigate the risks and implement effective prevention strategies for nearby populations. The TURBOMUD proposal seeks to advance this knowledge for the Gulf of Cadiz (GoC) accretionary wedge, leveraging a vast dataset collected from recent and past expeditions in the region. The project introduces an innovative research approach that combines the study of mud volcanism and turbidite occurrences to better estimate seismic hazards in this convergent zone. Utilizing a variety of unique materials and data, including two long sediment cores obtained with the MeBo seafloor drill rig, several gravity cores, and data from bathymetric and seismic surveys, this study provided a comprehensive paleoseismological analysis of the GoC. To analyze this data, the project employed several statistical techniques to assess the synchronicity of earthquake (EQ) related events. In a groundbreaking approach, the researcher planned to integrate classical turbidite study methods with those used to explore mud volcano episodicity, aiming to identify past extreme events. This novel combination of techniques will provide a more comprehensive understanding of seismic risk, offering an enhanced and more reliable means of assessing EQ hazards for the region. In summary, the main research goals to be reached were the following: i) unravel the Ginsburg MV (largest such structure in the GoC) spatial and temporal evolution, in connection to changes of solid and fluid emissions at this site and to paleoearthquakes occurrence in the GoC, and ii) produce an event database based on event deposit and MV eruptions for the Cadiz Accretionary Prism and the adjacent Seine Abyssal Plain, parallelly establishing the recent seismic history of the SWIM lineaments. Both objectives have been reached and are some of the results are still being investigated through new data acquired towards the end of the fellowship.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union