Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with Southern Appalachian Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)

The US Geological Survey (USGS) is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research on submarine and sublacustrine slope stability that will make use of newly collected sediment cores and high-resolution multibeam bathymetry and geophysical data from subduction zones. Specifically, seek to understand how the mechanical strength properties and source characteristics of marine and lake sediment influences slope stability along earthquake prone active margins through a cross-disciplinary collaboration. The USGS is interested in investigating the response of submarine and sublacustrine sediment to earthquake shaking by measuring the geomechanical properties of sediment samples collected along subduction zone margins and applying these parameters to numerical simulations of submarine/sublacustrine slope stability. Systematic characterization of seafloor/lakefloor sediments and comparison with submarine/sublacustrine landslide distribution will allow improved assessment of earthquake shaking proxies and ground motion hazard predictions. The goals of this study are part of the Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program (CMHRP) mission to identify and characterize coastal and marine geohazards (earthquakes, tsunamis, and landslides) and to develop probabilistic hazard assessments for the nation. In addition, results from this study will provide information and data valuable to the offshore wind energy industry as some of the study area falls within newly released lease areas.