Authors
A. B. Watts, D.G. Masson
Publication date
1995
Journal
Journal Geophysical Research
Volume
100
Pages
487-24
Description
The extent of mass wasting along the north flank of Tenerife has been mapped using swath bathymetry, GLORIA side‐scan sonar, and 3.5‐kHz echo sounder data. The marine surveys show that, north of Tenerife, a giant landslide is exposed over an area of 5500 km2 of the seafloor, more than twice the surface area of the island. The landslide truncates an older ridge and valley topography that is associated with the shield building basalts on Tenerife. We interpret the ridge and valley topography as the result of subaerial erosion. The landslide is estimated to have a length of 100 km, a width of up to 80 km, and a volume of about 1000 km3. It extends onshore into the Orotava and Icod valleys which have been interpreted as of landslide origin. K‐Ar dating of basaltic flows in the steep headwall of Orotava suggests an age of formation for the valley is younger than 0.78 Ma and may even be younger than 0.27 Ma. The …
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