Giant Landslides along the Hawaiian Islands

Seismic Studies: In January and February of 1998, Greg Moore and Juli Morgan conducted an NSF sponsored marine seismic survey across several of the giant submarine landslides around the Hawaiian Islands. We collected more than 30 seismic lines along the flanks of the Big Island of Hawai'i (Hilina slump), Oahu (Nu'uanu debris avalanche), and Lana'i (Clarke Slide). We also collected hydrosweep bathymetry across the Nu'uanu debris avalanche north of Oahu. These data provide the first detailed images of the subsurface structure and stratigraphy of the Hawaiian flanks, and reveal many very interesting features.

Submersible and ROV Dives: Members of our group have also participated in recent JAMSTEC bathymetric, ROV, and submersible surveys of the Hilina and Nu'uanu slides, in 1998, 1999, and 2001. These have allowed us to directly sample and observe rocks that comprise the volcano flanks, and gain ground truth for our seismic interpretations.

Please Direct Questions to Juli Morgan (morganj@rice.edu). To Juli's web page

  • Kilauea's South Flank

    Our primary focus was the south flank of Kilauea volcano, on the Big Island. This is thought to be the site of an active submarine landslide, the Hilina slump. The south flank is also creeping slowly seaward at rates of up to 10 cm/yr, and occasionally experiences large earthquakes, such as the 1975 M7.2 Kalapana earthquake, and larger 1868 Ka'u earthquake. The earthquakes are accompanied by large coseismic displacements and local tsunamis.

    We collected 29 seismic lines across the interpreted Hilina slump and mobile south flank. Processed (and some interpreted) versions of these lines can be viewed below.


    Kilauea South Flank seismic lines

    Click on a seismic line number to link to its appropriate page

    (still under construction)

    Shaded Relief Bathymetry of Kilauea

    Line 11 section Line 10 section Line 9 section Line 8 section Line 19 section Line 20 section Line 7 section Line 6 section Line 23 section Line 26 section Line 16 section Line 5 section Line 24 section Line 4 section Line 17 section Line 3 section Line 16 section Line 1 section Line 15 section Line 2 section Line 21 section Line 14 section Line 29 section Line 12 section Line 13 section Line 27 section Line 28 section Line 24 section

    Related Publications

  • Leslie, S.C., G.F. Moore, J.K. Morgan, and D.J. Hills, 2001, Seismic Stratigraphy of the Frontal Hawaiian Moat: Implications for Sedimentary Processes at the Leading Edge of an Oceanic Hotspot Trace, Marine Geology, in press.

  • Hills, D.J., J.K. Morgan, G.F. Moore, and S.C. Leslie, 2001, Structural variability along the submarine south flank of Kilauea volcano, hawaii, from a multichannel seismic reflection survey, in Evolution of Hawaiian Volcanoes, edited by E. Takahashi, M. Garcia, and P. Lipman, AGU Monograph, in press.

  • Smith, J.R., K. Satake, J.K. Morgan, and P. Lipman, 2001, Collapse features revealed by recent multibeam sonar surveys on the Hawaiian Ridge, in Evolution of Hawaiian Volcanoes, edited by E. Takahashi, M. Garcia, and P. Lipman, AGU Monograph, in press.

  • Morgan, J.K., G.F. Moore, D.J. Hills, and S.C. Leslie, 2000, Overthrusting and sediment accretion along Kilauea's mobile south flank, Hawaii: Evidence for volcanic spreading from marine seismic reflection data, Geology, 28, 667-670.

    Related Abstracts

  • Morgan, J.K., G.F. Moore, S. Leslie, D.J. Hills, J. Caplan-Auerbach, 1998, Seismic reflection images and bathymetry of large landslides along the flanks of the Hawaiian Islands, EOS Trans. AGU, Fall Meeting Suppl., 79, 1022.

  • Morgan, J.K., 1997, G.F. Moore, S. Leslie, 1998, Seismic reflection lines across Papa'u Seamount, south flank of Kilauea: The submarine expression of the Hilina Slump? EOS Trans. AGU, Fall Meeting Suppl., 79, 1008.

  • Hills, D.J., S. Leslie, J.K. Morgan, J.K., G.F. Moore, 1998, Marine seismic reflection lines across Hilina slump off south flank of Kilauea volcano, Hawai'i, EOS Trans. AGU, Fall Meeting Suppl., 79, 1008.

  • Caplan-Auerbach, G.F. Moore, J.K. Morgan, F.K. Dunnebier, 1998, The structure of Loihi seamount: A reflection and refraction study of undersea volcano, EOS Trans. AGU, Fall Meeting Suppl., 79, 1008.

  • Leslie, S, J.K. Morgan, D.J. Hills, G.F. Moore, 1998, Internal structure of the Puna Ridge, Hawaii, revealed by marine seismic reflection data, EOS Trans. AGU, Fall Meeting Suppl., 79, 1007.

  • Moore, G.F., J.K. Morgan, S. Leslie, B. Taylor, C. Berndt, 1998, Morphology and structure of the Nu'uanu debris avalanche, north of Oahu, Hawai'i, EOS Trans. AGU, Fall Meeting Suppl., 79, 1008.

    • This research is sponsored primarily by the National Science Foundation, Division of Ocean Sciences.


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    Page last modified on 12-Oct-01