Description: The 1908 Messina tsunami was the most catastrophic tsunami hitting the coastline of Southern Italy in the younger past. The source of this tsunami, however, is still heavily debated, and both rupture along a fault and a slope failure have been postulated as potential origin of the tsunami. Here we report a newly discovered active Fiumefreddo-Melito di Porto Salvo Fault Zone (F-MPS_FZ), which is located in the outer Messina Strait in a proposed landslide source area of the 1908 Messina tsunami. Tsunami modeling showed that this fault zone would produce devastating tsunamis by assuming slip amounts of ≥5 m. An assumed slip of up to 17 m could even generate a tsunami comparable to the 1908 Messina tsunami, but we do not consider the F-MPS_FZ as a source for the 1908 Messina tsunami because its E-W strike contradicts seismological observations of the 1908 Messina earthquake. Future researches on the F-MPS_FZ, however, may contribute to the tsunami risk assessment in the Messina Strait.

Description: The Sahara Slide is a giant submarine landslide on the northwest African continental margin. The landslide is located on the open continental slope offshore arid Western Sahara, with a headwall at a water depth of ∼2000 m. High primary productivity in surface waters drives accumulation of thick fine-grained pelagic/hemipelagic sediment sequences in the slide source area. Rare but large-scale slope failures, such as the Sahara Slide that remobilized approximately 600 km3 of sediment, are characteristic of this sedimentological setting. Seismic profiles collected from the slide scar reveal a stepped profile with two 100 m high headwalls, suggesting that the slide occurred retrogressively as a slab-type failure. Sediment cores recovered from the slide deposit provide new insights into the process by which the slide eroded and entrained a volcaniclastic sand layer. When this layer was entrained at the base of the slide it became fluidized and resulted in low apparent friction, facilitating the exceptionally long runout of ∼900 km. The slide location appears to be controlled by the buried headwall of an older slope failure, and we suggest that the cause of the slide relates to differential sedimentation rates and compaction across these scarps, leading to local increases of pore pressure. Sediment cores yield a date of 50–60 ka for the main slide event, a period of global sea level rise which may have contributed to pore pressure buildup. The link with sea level rising is consistent with other submarine landslides on this margin, drawing attention to this potential hazard during global warming.

Description: New 3-D seismic investigations carried out across the Sevastopol mud volcano in the Sorokin Trough present 3-D seismic data of a mud volcano in the Black Sea for the first time. The studies allow us to image the complex three-dimensional morphology of a collapse structured mud volcano and to propose an evolution model. The Sevastopol mud volcano is located above a buried diapiric structure with two ridges and controlled by fluid migration along a deep fault system, which developed during the growth of the diapirs in a compressional tectonic system. Overpressured fluids initiated an explosive eruption generating the collapse depression of the Sevastopol mud volcano. Several cones were formed within the depression by subsequent quiet mud extrusions. Although gas hydrates have been recovered at various mud volcanoes in the Sorokin Trough, no gas hydrates were sampled at the Sevastopol mud volcano. A BSR (bottom-simulating reflector) is missing in the seismic data; however, high-amplitude reflections (bright spots) observed above the diapiric ridge near the mud volcano at a relatively constant depth correspond to the approximate depth of the base of the gas hydrate stability zone (BGHSZ). Thus we suggest that gas hydrates are present locally where gas/fluid flow occurs related to mud volcanism, i.e., above the diapir and close to the feeder channel of the mud volcano. Depth variations of the bright spots of up to 200 ms TWT might be caused by temperature variations produced by variable fluid flow.

Description: The cruise AL527 took place in the Western Baltic Sea in the period 6. – 14.09.2019. The cruise was carried out as a marine geophysical field course of Kiel University, supported by BONUS ECOMAP project. Starting and ending point of the cruise was Kiel. One stopover in Kiel took place during the cruise due to an exchange of parts of the scientific party (10.09.2019). The main aim of the cruise was to introduce marine geophysical acquisition to the students including hands-on experience in collecting marine geophysical data. This approach also included a first processing and interpretation of the data as well as the presentation of the first results. Two areas in the Western Baltic Sea were the main working areas of AL527. The first survey area was at Boknis Eck, a part of the Eckernförde Bay. The main objective in this area was to search for an underwater observatory from the Coastal Observing System for Northern and Arctic Seas Project (COSYNA), which was operated by GEOMAR and disappeared end of August 2019. For this purpose, a survey with a bathymetric multibeam system from the ”Marine Geophysics and Hydroacoustics” working group (Kiel University) was carried out. Furthermore, an underwater camera system was used for visual inspections. The second survey area was in the Mecklenburger Bay. The main objective was a pre-investigation of a buried beach for an upcoming cruise within the EU-funded project ACT-SENSE. Therefore, 2D reflections seismic, sediment echo sounder, and multibeam data were acquired. Additionally, 7 gravity cores were taken for ground trothing and sampling of the buried beach. In order to analyze major tectonic structures in the Fehmarn Belt and the Mecklenburger Bay, 12 additional seismic profiles were collected when transiting between the survey areas. Our investigations showed that a buried beach is located in the Mecklenburger Bay beneath a layer of mud. The sand deposits have an estimated variable thickness between 1m and 9m in the survey area. The top of the beach was successfully sampled with several gravity cores. Further investigations of these cores, together with the geophysical data, will be take place in the frame of the ACT-SENSE project. In the acquired bathymetric dataset from Boknis Eck some conspicuous zones could be identified, where possibly remaining parts of the missing underwater observatory are located. Unfortunately, it was not possible to validate these zones by the used underwater camera. These zones should be investigated by divers in the near future, for a reliable validation.

Description: The cruise AL542 took place in the Western Baltic Sea in the period 14. – 21.08.2020. The cruise was carried out as a marine geophysical field course of Kiel University. Starting and ending point of the cruise was Kiel. One stopover in Kiel took place during the cruise due to an exchange of parts of the scientific party (18.08.2020). The main aim of the cruise was to introduce marine geophysical acquisition to the students including hands-on experience in collecting marine geophysical data. This approach also included a first processing and interpretation of the data as well as the presentation of the first results. The main survey area of the first leg of the cruise AL 542 was the Bay of Mecklenburg. In the eastern part of the bay seismic and acoustic data were collected with the aim to identify historical coastlines and buried glacial structures. Further, the central part of the bay was mapped with the multibeam echosounder to find the Blinkerhügel, a small mound with reported accumulation of manganese nodules, investigated in 2002 by Hlawatsch et al. The Blinkerhügel was clearly identified as an outcropping ground moraine. Seafloor samples at eight locations were collected with a grab from the area of the Blinkerhügel. At one location stones with manganese crusts were successfully retrieved. The four survey areas of the second leg of the cruise were Mittelgrund, Noer and Damp which are located in the Eckernförde Bay and an area near Fehmarn which is located in the northwest of the island in the Fehmarn Sund. In the region Mittelgrund in the Eckernförde Bay a wellknown, developing pockmark field was surveyed with hydroacoustic and seismic methods. Furthermore, a known pockmark near Noer was surveyed with hydroacoustic methods. From the third survey area Damp Laminaria agitate algae have been reported. The aim in this area was to check, if it is possible to detect the algae with the hydroacoustic systems. Additionally, some video transects and seafloor samples were gathered for ground truthing in this region. In the survey area near Fehmarn a dynamic dune field was surveyed with hydroacoustic methods. This dune field is surveyed every year to document changes in the submarine environment.

Description: Sedimentary archives host a wealth of information that can be used to reconstruct paleoclimate as well as the tectonic and volcanic histories of specific regions. Long and continuous archives from the oceans have been collected in thousands of locations by scientific ocean drilling programs over the past 40 years. In contrast, suitable continental archives are rare because terrestrial environments are generally nondepositional and/or subject to erosion. Lake sediments provide ideal drilling targets to overcome this limitation if suitable lakes at key locations have existed continuously for a long time.

Description: Assessing frequency and extent of mass movement at continental margins is crucial to evaluate risks for offshore constructions and coastal areas. A multidisciplinary approach including geophysical, sedimentological, geotechnical, and geochemical methods was applied to investigate multistage mass transport deposits (MTDs) off Uruguay, on top of which no surficial hemipelagic drape was detected based on echosounder data. Nonsteady state pore water conditions are evidenced by a distinct gradient change in the sulfate (SO42−) profile at 2.8 m depth. A sharp sedimentological contact at 2.43 m coincides with an abrupt downward increase in shear strength from ∼10 to 〉20 kPa. This boundary is interpreted as a paleosurface (and top of an older MTD) that has recently been covered by a sediment package during a younger landslide event. This youngest MTD supposedly originated from an upslope position and carried its initial pore water signature downward. The kink in the SO42− profile ∼35 cm below the sedimentological and geotechnical contact indicates that bioirrigation affected the paleosurface before deposition of the youngest MTD. Based on modeling of the diffusive re-equilibration of SO42− the age of the most recent MTD is estimated to be 〈30 years. The mass movement was possibly related to an earthquake in 1988 (∼70 km southwest of the core location). Probabilistic slope stability back analysis of general landslide structures in the study area reveals that slope failure initiation requires additional ground accelerations. Therefore, we consider the earthquake as a reasonable trigger if additional weakening processes (e.g., erosion by previous retrogressive failure events or excess pore pressures) preconditioned the slope for failure. Our study reveals the necessity of multidisciplinary approaches to accurately recognize and date recent slope failures in complex settings such as the investigated area.

Description: The morphology and structure of the submarine flanks of the Canary Islands were mapped using the GLORIA long-range side-scan sonar system, bathymetric multibeam systems, and sediment echosounders. Twelve young (〈2 Ma) giant landslides have been identified on the submarine flanks of the Canary Islands up to now. Older landslide events are long buried under a thick sediment cover due to high sedimentation rates around the Canary Islands. Most slides were found on the flanks of the youngest and most active islands of La Palma, El Hierro, and Tenerife, but young giant landslides were also identified on the flanks of the older (15–20 Ma) but still active eastern islands. Large-scale mass wasting is an important process during all periods of major magmatic activity. The long-lived volcanic constructive history of the islands of the Canary Archipelago is balanced by a correspondingly long history of destruction, resulting in a higher landslide frequency for the Canary Islands compared to the Hawaiian Islands, where giant landslides only occur late in the period of active shield growth. The lower stability of the flanks of the Canaries is probably due to the much steeper slopes of the islands, a result of the abundance of highly evolved intrusive and extrusive rocks. Another reason for the enhanced slope instability is the abundance of pyroclastic deposits on Canary Islands resulting from frequent explosive eruptions due to the elevated volatile contents in the highly alkalic magmas. Dike-induced rifting is most likely the main trigger mechanism for destabilization of the flanks. Flank collapses are a major geological hazard for the Canary Islands due to the sector collapses themselves as well as triggering of tsunamis. In at least one case, a giant lateral blast occurred when an active magmatic or hydrothermal system became unroofed during flank collapse.

Description: Upper‐plate normal faults are a widespread structural element in erosive plate margins. Increasing coverage of marine geophysical data has proven that similar features also exist in accretionary margins where horizontal compression usually results in folding and thrust‐faulting. There is a general lack of understanding of the role and importance of normal faulting for the structural and tectonic evolution of accretionary margins. Here, we use high‐resolution 2D and 3D seismic reflection data and derived seismic attributes to map and analyze upper‐plate normal faulting in the marine forearc of the accretionary Hikurangi margin, New Zealand. We document extension of the marine forearc over a wide area along the upper continental slope. The seismically imaged normal faults show low vertical displacements, high dip angles, a preference for landward dip and often en echelon patterns. We evaluate different processes, which may cause the observed extension, including (1) stress change during the earthquake cycle, (2) regional or local uplift and decoupling of shallow strata from compression at depth, as well as (3) rotation of crustal blocks and resulting differential stresses at the block boundaries. The results suggest that normal faults play an important role in the structural and tectonic evolution of accretionary margins, including the northern Hikurangi forearc.