Experimental study on movement characteristics and influence factors of submarine landslide triggered by earthquake

Earthquake-induced submarine landslides are destructive mass movement events impacting many marine environments. In this study, a novel vibrating flume tank was developed to study the macroscopic phenomenon of submarine landslide movement triggered by earthquakes. The results showed the movement of the sliding body has the characteristics of periodic and intermittent flow. The sliding body strikes the structure on the slope, and the force of the structure quickly reaches its peak value, then fluctuates near that value for a period of time before decreasing rapidly. A higher clay content enhanced the plastic deformation of the sliding body and the movement velocity of the sliding body was reduced. When the earthquake vibration frequency increased, the average velocity of the sliding body increased. The electrolyte in seawater enhances the water pressure and plays the role of lubricant. As the electrolyte concentration in the seawater increased, the velocity of the sliding body movement increased accordingly due to the lower friction. When the seabed slope gradient increased, the erosion effect of the sliding body on the seabed slope became stronger. As the volume of the sliding body increased, the movement velocity increased. This study can be used to assess the hazards of submarine landslides, providing a basis for the mitigation and control of marine geological disasters.