Diagenetic priming of submarine landslides in ooze-rich substrates

Oozes are the most widespread deep-sea sediment in the global ocean, but very little is known about how changes in their physical properties during burial impact slope stability and related geohazards. Here, we use 3D seismic reflection, geochemical, and petrophysical data acquired both within and adjacent to 13 large (in total c. 6330 km2) submarine slides on the Exmouth Plateau, NW Shelf, Australia, to investigate how the pre-slide physical properties of oozes control slope failure and emplacement processes. Our integrated dataset allows potential slide surfaces to be detected within ooze successions; a crucial advance for improved submarine geohazard assessment. Moreover, we demonstrate that the interplay of tectonics, ocean current activity, and silica diagenesis can prime multiple slides on very low gradient slopes in tropical, oceanic basins. Therefore, the diagenetic state of silica-rich sediments must be considered to improve slope stability assessments.