Soil Mechanics and Slope Stability of the Ursa Basin, Northern Gulf of Mexico

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Soil Mechanics and Slope Stability of the Ursa
Basin,Northern Gulf of Mexico

• Hilary Elizabeth Strong
• MS Candidate
• Institute for Geophysics
• The University of Texas at Austin
• Austin, TX 78758

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Presentation Outline

• Submarine Landslides An Introduction
• Geology of the Ursa Basin
• Mechanics of Slope Failure
• Soil Strength Testing
• Initial Results
• The Problem at Ursa
• A Recent Slide in the Gulf of Mexico

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Submarine Landslides
http//ethomas.web.wesleyan.edu/ees123/clathrate19
9.htm
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Study Area Ursa Basin
Sawyer et al 2007
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Sawyer in press
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Sawyer in press
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Mechanics of Slope Failure
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Overpressure
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Testing and Work Plan
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Current Conditions
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Initial Results
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Initial Results
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Current conditions are safe!

• So how do we explain MTDs?
• 1) Conditions in the past different
• 2) Earthquakes triggered failure

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A Recent Slide in the Gulf
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THANK YOU FOR FUNDING ME!

• Questions?