Turbidites and subaqueous mass transport deposits (MTDs) are key components for understanding past earthquakes, providing important constraints on recurrence intervals, segmentation behavior, and often rupture dimensions and characteristics. In subduction zones, a premise of turbidite paleoseismology is that shaking from megathrust and other earthquakes remobilizes sediments that are transported downslope in densified currents that subsequently deposit turbidites or MTDs. Interpretations of the spatio-temporal correlations of turbidites along subduction zone margins have been used as primary constraints on approximate megathrust rupture dimensions, magnitude, and timing. The challenge detangling and validating turbidite records is that they result from a multifaceted process, requiring a knowledge of regional and local sedimentary processes and pathways, sedimentary slope stability and failure, dating methods and associated uncertainties, climatic and oceanographic triggers, as well as detailed ground motion models.
This workshop, funded by the SSA community grants, aims to bring together an interdisciplinary group of scientists to focus on outstanding questions that we need to answer to improve estimates of offshore ground motions based on turbidites and MTDs. These include topics related to understanding offshore ground motion site conditions; constraints or data needed for future slope stability analyses; the mechanics of sediment remobilization due to shaking; uncertainties in interpretations of sediment core stratigraphy; and arising from an incomplete knowledge of flow dynamics, sediment supply, erosion and deposition, etc. Discussions also will focus on currently available and future key measurements and insights from modeling (e.g., of hydrodynamical and multiphase flow) and insights from modeling (e.g., of hydrodynamical and multiphase flow).
The workshop will be a combination of oral and poster presentations, and breakout groups. We have space for ~30 people in person and a limited amount of funding available for travel with priority for early career scientists, and will have a virtual option available for some components of the workshop.
If you are interested in attending, please fill out this form by November 21st, 2022.