Chasing Reality: Re-creating Turbidity Currents

Using the 3-Equation Approach

Created by: Zach Barnaal,

Fabian Ruiz and Michael Reed
Image taken from Hsu et al., 2009
What we know:
● December 26th, 2006 - Twin 7.0 magnitude earthquakes
struck off the southwest coast of Taiwan (20:26 and 20:34
local time)

● Over the next ~13 hours, 14 telecommunication cables were

severed in succession except cable 9 which was severed ~9
hours later

● Estimated 5 individual submarine landslides were identified

from the timing and spatial distribution of these events with
speeds of 20.0*, 3.7, 5.7 m/s on slopes of 18 X 10^-3, 3.5 X
10^-3 and 4.2 X 10^-3 respectively

* - Velocity was only calculated between two points within a one minute time span
 Goals: Modeling Turbidity Currents of the
Kaoping Canyon and Manila Trench

For each of the

sections, we apply
the slope and velocity
data as determined
by the termination of
telecommunications
 “Landslide” 4: Lower Kaoping Canyon and Manila Trench -
Frontal Accretionary Wedge onto Abyssal Plain*
Frontal Accretionary Wedge
- 5 cables terminated, 2 intact.
(#9 - not in succession)

Abyssal Plain - 5 cables

terminated, 1 intact

* - Results using 3-equation model with the hopes of transitioning to 4-equation model
 Ri, C, E Plots
● First iterations fail ~250 meters and
~80m due to subcritical flow (Ri of unity)

● Downstream deceleration by slope

gradients (0.0035 and 0.0042)

● Lower Kaoping canyon and abyssal

plane same result (Ri subcritical)

● Attempted various range of reasonable

Ho, Co, D, ro, Dx and Dt steps. All
lead to Ri of unity due to low slopes
U, H, and qs Plots
Lower Kaoping

Manila Trench
 Event 3: Onset of Turbidity Current 1 - Rear
Accretionary Wedge of the Kaoping Canyon*
Rear Accretionary Wedge
- 2 cables terminated 15km
apart (+-3m/s error)

* - Results using 3-equation model with the hopes of transitioning to 4-equation model
Rear Accretionary Wedge of the Kaoping
Canyon: Zoom In

Appx. location of first telecom cable

 Flow Plots Along Upper
Kaoping Canyon
● Velocity drops proximal to source
● Flow thickens ~ 35m and levels out
● Uniform E (max), C drops to 0.07
● Ri jumps to about 0.7, but below unity
 Discussion of All Model Runs for the Taiwan Events
● Aggradational system for such events

● 20 m/s (+- 3 m/s) velocity seems too high, low

accuracy determining U from comms loss.
(also may be multiple “landslides” that
occurred in this section that are mistaken as
one).

“Landslide” 15 km in 20
Time = 0 min
Comm failure 1 minutes averages
Time = 10 min 12.5 m/s.

Comm failure 2
Time = 30 min
|--------------------------------------------------~20km---------------------------------------------------------|
 Discussion of All Model Runs for the Taiwan Events
● Aggradational system for such events

● 20 m/s (+- 3 m/s) velocity seems too high, low

accuracy determining U from comms loss.
(also may be multiple “landslides” that
occurred in this section that are mistaken as Heezen and Drake 1964 discussed a
similar suggestion in a re-evaluation of flow
one). velocities of currents that disrupted comm
lines in the 1929 Grand Banks earthquake

“Landslide”
“Landslide” 10 km in 30
Time = 0 min
Comm failure 1 Time = 0 min minutes averages
Time = 10 min 5.55 m/s.

Comm failure 2
Time = 30 min
|--------------------------------------------------~20km---------------------------------------------------------|
 Model of Submarine Canyons with Sediment
Underflow and “Bedrock” Interaction
● Blatant plagiarism of Prof. Parker’s 3-eqn
spatial turbidity current excel file and code

● Applies a modified Exner’s eqn. for temporal

change in alluvial elevation

● Uses Wright and Parker (2004) sediment

entrainment formulation. Constant D, ro, Cf, 𝜆p

● Capable of “bedrock” elevation changes, but

applies constant bedrock along slope for now
Aggradation of “alluvium” Turbidity Current Deposits*

* - Results using 3-equation model with the hopes of transitioning to 4-equation model
Degradation of “alluvium” Turbidity Current Deposits*

* - Results using 3-equation model with the hopes of transitioning to 4-equation model