Abstract
The interpretation of shallow seismic profiles has indicated that open and buried channels are present over large areas of the North Sea. These features occur at various levels within the Quaternary sequence, and their age of formation ranges from Middle to Late Pleistocene. Although the majority of the channels have been completely filled with sediment, several have remained open and have only a partial sedimentary infill. Some of the channels are of undoubted subglacial origin, but the majority were probably formed by fluvial processes, with their profiles having been subsequently accentuated by catastrophic meltwater discharges. The sediment fill is of highly variable lithological and geotechnical composition. Consequently, they may represent a hazard to structures sited above them. The variable composition of the fill is responsible for producing seismic “pull up” and “pull down” effects on the profiles, and these effects should be taken into consideration when examining geological structures at greater depth.
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© 1986 Society for Underwater Technology
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Long, D., Stoker, M.S. (1986). Channels in the North Sea: the Nature of a Hazard. In: Oceanology. Advances in Underwater Technology, Ocean Science and Offshore Engineering, vol 6. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4205-9_38
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4205-9_38
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