Cortes Basin

Interplay between tectonics and submarine mass transport deposits in Cortes Basin: new high-resolution geophysics in the Outer California Borderland

Paper: https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JB032100

Data: https://doi.org/10.7284/909885 

Abstract

The Outer California Borderland (OCB) is an active transform plate boundary offshore Southern California, where the relationship between faulting and submarine mass transport deposits (MTDs) remains poorly understood. Onshore paleoseismic data provide high‐resolution earthquake records, whereas marinegeophysical data capture longer‐term histories. Offshore fault systems pose hazards to infrastructure and dense coastal populations, particularly when linked to submarine landslides. We present new high‐resolution geophysical data set (cruise SR2303), including bathymetric and CHIRP sub‐bottom data integrated with legacy seismic reflection data and chronostratigraphic constraints from ODP Site 1012 to examine Quaternary MTD recurrence and tectonic controls in the Cortes Basin, OCB. Bathymetry shows deformational features, including slide scarps and previously unmapped fault segments with evidence of Holocene activity. CHIRP profiles reveal 10 stacked MTDs in the East Cortes Basin and 8 in the West Cortes Basin, spanning ∼752 ka with an average recurrence of ∼83.6 ± 1 ka. Acoustic imaging shows 7 MTD intervals coinciding with fault offset increments and fault growth suggesting earthquake‐triggered mass wasting. A strong association between MTD occurrences and sea‐level extremes also supports glacio‐eustatic contribution to slope failure. Stratigraphic correlations suggest quasi‐synchronous MTDs across the eastern and western areas, likely triggered by larger eathquakes in the Quaternary. Although the identified MTDs occur relatively far from the Southern California coast, they still pose a potential tsunamigenic hazard requiring further assessment. Moreover, if linked to earthquakes along major strike‐slip faults, for example, the Ferrelo fault, the MTDs may provide.