Abstract
The 1996 Finneidfjord landslide, which took four human lives in northern Norway, initiated along a weak layer in the fjord-marine sediments before developing retrogressively across the shoreline. The integration of results from sediment cores, free-fall cone penetrometer tests and high-resolution 3D seismic data indicates that the slide-prone layer is a regional bed likely sourced from clay-slide activity in the catchment of the fjord. The sediments in this regional layer are softer and more sensitive than the typical bioturbated, fjord-marine deposits, which explains their role in slope instability. In addition, biogenic gas in the stratified event bed may further affect its geotechnical properties. Similar, fine-grained, stratified beds with comparable origin and properties occur in other Norwegian fjords. They are presumably also present along coastlines of other previously glaciated margins, where they could contribute to mass movements.
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Acknowledgments
We thank the SEABED project with the Norwegian Deepwater Programme (www.ndwp.org) for financial support. Jacques Locat and Chris Baxter are acknowledged for their constructive reviews. This is contribution no. 354 of the International Centre for Geohazards.
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L’Heureux, JS. et al. (2012). Identification of Weak Layers and Their Role for the Stability of Slopes at Finneidfjord, Northern Norway. In: Yamada, Y., et al. Submarine Mass Movements and Their Consequences. Advances in Natural and Technological Hazards Research, vol 31. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2162-3_29
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