Modern and recent sediment gravity flows offshore eastern Sicily, western Ionian Basin

Submarine sediment gravity flows are some of the most important sediment transport processes globally. They pose a hazard to offshore infrastructure and may contribute to tsunami generation. The behaviour of these sediment flows, however, is still not fully understood. The Ionian Basin offshore eastern Sicily is characterised by high seismicity, tsunamis and gravity flows.

The 1908 Messina earthquake, which caused >60,000 casualties, triggered an extensive turbidity current.

The geohazard implication of gravity flows is poorly constrained for this densely populated and economically important region.

The objectives of MARGRAF are to: 1) reconstruct the behaviour and evolution of the 1908 turbidity current; 2)evaluate the role of this turbidity current in the 1908 Messina tsunami; 3) test the effectiveness of using a submarine telecommunication cable to detect modern gravity flows; and 4) determine present-day probability of new turbidity currents being generated along the eastern Sicilian margin.

Addressing these objectives will help to understand key processes involved in submarine gravity flows.

The objectives will be fulfilled via a multidisciplinary and multi-scale analysis comprising geophysical and sedimentological data interpretation, numerical modelling, and laser interferometry.

The researcher’s expertise in analysing submarine sediment failures will be crucial to implement the project’s objectives. Results will be disseminated to target audiences via different measures (e.g., newspapers). MARGRAF will be carried out at the Department of Geosciences of the University of Malta.

Secondments in France and in Germany will provide data and training of relevant skills.

By the end of the fellowship the researcher will have new technical skills (e.g., numerical modelling), and enhanced transferable skills (e.g., project management), which will provide the researcher with better chances of future employment in marine geoscientific research, especially within Europe.