Work

Buried North Sea landslide reveals the potential of major catastrophic landslides in rift settings

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: A 340 km2 large catastrophic landslide has been discovered from broadband seismic data in the deeply buried Permo-Triassic northern North Sea rift. The landslide formed by gravity-driven collapse of a >2.5 km high fault-generated footwall crest of crystalline basement rocks. ~300 km3 of rocks moved 8-9 km on a low-angle detachment, creating the largest known rift landslide worldwide. At the time of sliding, active rifting had transformed a low-relief denudation surface to a more than 2.5 km fault-controlled relief in a Basin and Range-style rift setting. This high-relief semi-linear topography developed at an early (Late Permian) stage due to rapid fault displacement accumulation and large associated footwall uplift under arid denudation-suppressing climatic conditions. Lower Triassic burial of the collapsed crest occurred as a new rift-bounding fault, the Øygarden Fault, was established to the east. This study demonstrates that although rare, huge landslides can form in active rift settings.

Source: Communications Earth & Environment

DOI: 10.1038/s43247-025-02677-4

Author: Haakon Fossen

Institution: University of Bergen

Language: English

Topic: Geological formations and processes

Subfield: Earth-Surface Processes

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,490

Funder: Universitetet i Bergen