Geology and biology of Oceanographer submarine Canyon

We investigated Oceanographer Canyon, which is on the southeastern margin of Georges Bank, during a series of fourteen dives in the “Alvin” and “Nekton Gamma” submersibles. We have integrated our observations with the results of previous geological and biological studies of Georges Bank and its submarine canyons. Fossiliferous sedimentary rocks collected from outcrops in Oceanographer Canyon indicate that the Cretaceous—Tertiary boundary is at 950 m below sea level at about 40°16′N where at least 300 m of Upper Cretaceous strata are exposed; Santonian beds are more than 100 m thick and are the oldest rocks collected from the canyon. Quaternary silty clay, deposited most probably during the late Wisconsin Glaciation, veneers the canyon walls in many places, and lithologically similar strata are present beneath the adjacent outer shelf and slope. Where exposed, the Quaternary clay is commonly burrowed by benthic organisms that cause extensive erosion of the canyon walls, especially in the depth zone (100–1300 m) inhabited by red crabs (Geryon) and/or jonah crabs (Cancer). Bioerosion is minimal on high, near-vertical cliffs of sedimentary rock, in areas of continual sediment movement, and where the sea floor is paved by gravel. A thin layer of rippled, unconsolidated silt and sand is commonly present on the canyon walls and in the axis; ripple orientation is most commonly transverse to the canyon axis and slip-faces point downcanyon. Shelf sediments are transported from Georges Bank over the eastern rim and into Oceanographer Canyon by the southwest drift and storm currents; tidal currents and internal waves move the sediment downcanyon along the walls and axis. Large erratic boulders and gravel pavements on the eastern rim are ice-rafted glacial debris of probable late Wisconsinan age; modern submarine currents prevent burial of the gravel deposits. The dominant canyon megafauna segregates naturally into three faunal depth zones (133–299 m; 300–1099 m; 1100–1860 m) that correlate with similar zones previously established for the continental slope epibenthos. Faunal diversity is highest on gravelly sea floors at shallow and middle depths. The benthic fauna and the fishes derive both food and shelter by burrowing into the sea floor. In contrast to the nearby outer shelf and upper slope, Oceanographer Canyon has not been extensively exploited by the fishing industry, and the canyon ecosystem probably is relatively unaltered.     

A geomorphological seabed classification for the Weddell Sea,Antarctica

Sea floor morphology plays an important role in many scientific disciplines such as ecology, hydrology and sedimentology since geomorphic features can act as physical controls for e.g. species distribution, oceanographically flow-path estimations or sedimentation processes. In this study, we provide a terrain analysis of the Weddell Sea based on the 500 m × 500 m resolution bathymetry data provided by the mapping project IBCSO. Seventeen seabed classes are recognized at the sea floor based on a fine and broad scale Benthic Positioning Index calculation highlighting the diversity of the glacially carved shelf. Beside the morphology, slope, aspect, terrain rugosity and hillshade were calculated and supplied to the data archive PANGAEA. Applying zonal statistics to the geomorphic features identified unambiguously the shelf edge of the Weddell Sea with a width of 45–70 km and a mean depth of about 1200 m ranging from 270 m to 4300 m. A complex morphology of troughs, flat ridges, pinnacles, steep slopes, seamounts, outcrops, and narrow ridges, structures with approx. 5–7 km width, build an approx. 40–70 km long swath along the shelf edge. The study shows where scarps and depressions control the connection between shelf and abyssal and where high and low declination within the scarps e.g. occur. For evaluation purpose, 428 grain size samples were added to the seabed class map. The mean values of mud, sand and gravel of those samples falling into a single seabed class was calculated, respectively, and assigned to a sediment texture class according to a common sediment classification scheme.     

Changes in seabed morphology, mud temperature and free gas venting at the Håkon Mosby mud volcano, offshore northern Norway, over the time period 2003–2006

The Håkon Mosby mud volcano is a 1.5-km-diameter geological structure located on the Southwest Barents Sea slope at a water depth of 1,270 m. High-definition seabed mapping of the mud volcano has been carried out in 2003 and 2006. A comparative analysis of the bathymetry and backscatter maps produced from the two surveys shows subtle morphological changes over the entire crater of the mud volcano, interpreted to be the consequence of mud eruption events. Mud temperature measurements point to a persistently warm mud at shallow depth in the crater. This is explained by upward fluid advection, rather than conductive cooling of mud flows. The small-scale spatial variability in the temperature distribution may be related to mud outflows or changes in the fluid flow regime. Furthermore, the locations of free gas venting observed in 2006 were found to differ from those of 2003. Our observations of overall similar topographic profiles across the mud volcano in 2003 and 2006 suggest that eruption events would have been modest. Nevertheless, the data bring evidence of significant change in activity even over short time intervals of only 3 years. This may be a characteristic shared by other submarine mud volcanoes, notably those considered to be in a quiescent stage.     

A relict ice-scoured erosion surface in the central North Sea

The interpretation of shallow seismic records from the central North Sea has revealed the existence of an irregular erosion surface within late Pleistocene sediments. A morphological study of this surface has identified two main types of relief: (1) an irregular, rough topography with depressions varying in depth from 1 to 6 m, and in width from 25 to 300 m; and (2) a much smoother topography with relatively few depressions. On a palaeobathymetric map the rough topography extends from ca. 110 to 160 m below sea level (OD), while the smoother topography extends beyond the 160 m below OD contour. This surface is interpreted as an ice-scoured erosional feature formed by the grounding of sea ice in a shallow shelf environment. The stratigraphic position of the ice-scoured surface shows it to be a relict late Weichselian feature formed at ca. 17,000–18,000 B.P.     

Derivation of Bathymetry from High-resolution Optical Satellite Imagery and USV Sounding Data

Remote sensing bathymetry inversion can quickly obtain water depth data of large areas, but this process relies on a large number of in-situ depth data points. USV-based (Unmanned Surface Vehicle) technique can obtain the bathymetry data of shallow water where ordinary ships are inaccessible, but this technique is inefficient and generally only data along survey line can be collected. The combination of USV and high-resolution remote sensing provides a new solution for water depth surveying and mapping around an island. This paper focuses on the key techniques, using USV sounding data and GeoEye-1 multispectral remote sensing images covering the region of Wuzhizhou island in the experiment. The results show that the MAE (Mean Absolute Error) of USV sounding is 0.25 m, while the MRE (Mean Relative Error) is 1.41%, and the MRE of remote sensing bathymetry aided by USV sounding can be controlled within 20%. Errors are mainly from areas shallower than 5 m, and are also affected by the USV sounding position accuracy. It shows that it is feasible to combine the USV sounding and high-resolution remote sensing bathymetry, and this technique has broad application prospects in the field of bathymetry in large shallow areas.     

基于水下自主航行器(AUV)的神狐峡谷谷底块体搬运沉积特征及其对深水峡谷物质输运过程的指示

海底峡谷是陆源物质向深海运移的重要通道.对于远离陆地的海底峡谷,通常认为浊流是物质搬运的主要营力.受限于探测精度和复杂作业环境影响,使用常规地球物理资料对深水海底峡谷尤其是对谷底沉积体的形态和结构特征的刻画不够精细.基于水下自主航行器(AUV,Autonomous Underwater Vehicle)采集的高分辨率多...     

Evidence for erosion and deposition by the 2011 Tohoku-oki tsunami on the nearshore shelf of Sendai Bay,Japan

Ongoing geological research into processes operating on the nearshore continental shelf and beyond is vital to our understanding of modern tsunami-generated sediment transport and deposition. This paper investigates the southern part of Sendai Bay, Japan, by means of high-resolution seismic surveys, vibracoring, bathymetric data assimilation, and radioisotope analysis of a core. For the first time, it was possible to identify an erosional surface in the shallow subsurface, formed by both seafloor erosion and associated offshore-directed sediment transport caused by the 2011 Tohoku-oki tsunami. The area of erosion and deposition extends at least 1,100 m offshore from the shoreline down to water depths of 16.7 m. The tsunami-generated sedimentological signature reaches up to 1.2 m below the present seafloor, whereas bathymetric changes due to storm-related reworking over a period of 3 years following the tsunami event have been limited to the upper ~0.3 m, despite the fact that the study area is located on an open shelf facing the Pacific Ocean. Tsunami-generated erosion surfaces may thus be preserved for extended periods of time, and may even enter the rock record, because the depth of tsunami erosion can exceed the depth of storm erosion. This finding is also important for interpretation of modern submarine strata, since erosion surfaces in shallow (depths less than ~1 m) seismic records from open coast shelves have generally been interpreted as storm-generated surfaces or transgressive ravinement surfaces.     

Distribution and morphology of mud volcanoes and other fluid flow-related lake-bed structures in Lake Baikal, Russia

New high-resolution multibeam bathymetry data recorded in 2009 in the deepest lake in the World, Lake Baikal, Siberia, enabled a better understanding of the morphology of ten known lake-bed structures—the Bolshoy, Malenki, Malyutka and Stari mud volcanoes in the South Baikal Basin, the K1–4 structures in the Selenga delta, and the Novosibirsk and St. Petersburg structures in the Central Baikal Basin—and also the discovery of 29 new lake-bed structures. These new structures are the S1, Tolstiy, mTSG and S2 in the South Baikal Basin, the P1–P4, P6–P19 and K5–K8 in the Selenga delta accommodation zone, and the C1, C3 and C4 edifices in the Central Baikal Basin. In all, 39 positive relief structures were identified and their large-scale distribution mapped. Based on their typical shape, the observation of high-reflectivity areas on side-scan sonar data records, and evidence of feeder channels on subsurface data, these structures can be classified as mud volcanoes. This has already been confirmed in other publications for the Bolshoy, Malenki and K2 structures, by the recovery of mud breccias in sediment cores. Most structures occur on or near faults and have orientations parallel with the major faults and main stress orientations in the basins, suggesting a strong structural control on the formation of the mud volcanoes. Their slopes are generally steeper than 5°, consistent with interpretation as mud cones formed by high-viscosity, stiff mud plugs. Only few structures appear to be characterised by a crater, in which case this apparent crater seems to be formed by the coalescence of several single cones, leaving a depression in the centre. Some structures have a moat, which has probably an erosional origin. Furthermore, three depressions have been found, named P5, P20 and C2, which are suggested to be pockmarks.     

New, high resolution swath bathymetry of Gettysburg and Ormonde Seamounts (Gorringe Bank, eastern Atlantic) and first geological results

High resolution swath bathymetry of shallow water (< 200 m) oceanic seamounts is a relatively rare issue. During the recent Gorringe_2003 cruise over the Gorringe Bank (Eastern Atlantic) we collected multibeam bathymetry on the bank’s two shallow summits, Gettysburg and Ormonde in the –25/–400m depth range at a resolution rarely achieved over an oceanic seamount. We also carried out bottom samplings and ROV dives in the same bathymetric interval. The acquisition parameters and the characteristics of the echosounder employed allowed to generate a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) with metric spatial resolution upto 75–100 m depths. To ensure proper tidal corrections a tide-gauge was deployed at sea-bottom during the survey. DTM reveals for the Gettysburg Seamount an almost perfectly circular summit resulting from the blanket of bioclastic sediments over an igneous ‘core’ consisting of sheared and foliated serpentinites. The core is dissecated by N 10° W trending ridges elevating some tens of metres and filled in between by bioclastic sands. Both foliation and ridge patterns seem related to primary igneous fabric rather than later structural deformation. The overall circular shape confirms the origin of the seamount as a mantle serpentinite diapir in analogy with similar, but subduction-related, circular seamounts observed in the Bonin Trench (western Pacific). In contrast the Ormonde elongated summit follows the regional tectonic trend with a N 60° E active (seismogenic?) fault on its southeastern flank. Its basement morphology corresponds to the outcrops of igneous rocks chiefly consisting of gabbros, volcanic rocks and dyke intrusions. On both seamounts topographic profiles show that the ‘shelf’ area is somewhat convex rather than flat like that of ‘Pacific type’ guyots and is bordered by a depositional, locally erosional shelf break, located between –170 and –130 m. Various terraced surfaces and some geological evidence confirm previous observations and indicate relative sea-level oscillations with partial emersion of the two summits that seem occurred during the last glacial cycle (past 120 ka).     

近50 a来辽河口水下三角洲演变特征研究

本文基于近50 a来的辽河口海域的水下地形资料,采用GIS技术手段研究了辽河口水下三角洲的演变特征。研究结果表明:近50 a来辽河水下三角洲外缘(蛤蜊岗子滩西缘和南缘、西滩西缘和南缘)出现较大幅度的侵蚀后退;蛤蜊岗子滩东缘淤积外移,南部滩尾东部有北移东偏趋势;近岸浅滩由淤涨变为基本稳定,局部有所侵蚀后退;受蛤蜊岗子滩向东淤进的影响,蛤蜊岗子滩东侧深槽有所缩窄;蛤蜊岗子滩和西滩之间深槽水域出现拓宽变浅的变化趋势。流域来水来沙减少是近年来辽河口水下三角洲外缘侵蚀后退的主要原因,外缘侵蚀泥沙在波流作用下向河口搬运是蛤蜊岗子滩东侧淤积、深槽缩窄的主要原因,近岸边滩人工围垦对水下三角洲演变的影响值得关注。     

Shallow water depth retrieval from space-borne SAR imagery

Based on shallow water bathymetry synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging mechanism and the microwave scattering imaging model for oceanic surface features, we developed a new method for shallow water depth retrieval from space-borne SAR images. The first guess of surface currents and winds are estimated from the normalized radar crossing section (NRCS) profile of shallow water bathymetry SAR imagery, according to the linear theory and geophysical model function. The NRCS profile is then simulated by the microwave scattering imaging model. Both the surface currents and winds are adjusted by using the dichotomy method step by step to make the M4S-simulated NRCS profiles approach those observed by SAR. Then, the surface currents and the wind speeds are retrieved when a best fit between simulated signals and the SAR image appears. Finally, water depths are derived using the Navier–Stokes equation and finite difference method with the best estimated currents and the surface winds. The method is tested on two SAR images of the Taiwan Shoal. Results show that the simulated shallow water NRCS profile is in good agreement with those measured by SAR with the correlation coefficient as high as 85%. In addition, when water depths retrieved from the SAR image are compared with in situ measurements, both the root mean square and relative error are less than 3.0 m and 6.5%, respectively, indicating that SAR images are useful for shallow water depth retrieval and suggesting that the proposed method in this paper is convergent and applicable.     

黄河三角洲飞雁滩动力特征与地形剖面塑造

飞雁滩是1964年1月至1976年5月黄河尾闾由刁口流路入海形成的黄河亚三角洲。自1976年黄河改走清水沟入海后,飞雁滩岸滩发生强烈侵蚀后退。以20世纪70年代开始的地形固定断面观测资料、2004年4月现场水文泥沙及沉积物取样资料为基础,地形剖面后退距离作为统计参数,并根据实测资料计算了潮流和波浪底摩阻流速的横向分布,从动力分布和沉积物结构方面解释了飞雁滩典型剖面的变化特征。30a来飞雁滩岸滩地形剖面经历了“快速后退侵蚀——慢速调整——波动触发”的变化过程,这也正是其三角洲前缘侵蚀逐渐消失过程。沉积物抗冲性强弱是剖面蚀退速度变化的主要原因,水动力条件的变化改变了不同阶段的地形剖面最大蚀退量水深范围与闭合深度。风暴潮仍是今后海滩地形剖面演变的触发动力。     

Sea Floor Sediment and Its Acouso-Physical Properties in the Southeast Open Sea Area of Hainan Island in China

Acouso-physical properties of sea floor sediments in the southeast offshore sea area of Hainan Island on the northern continental shelf of the South China Sea are analyzed. In many cruises, conductivity-temperature-depth measurements of seawater, measurements of shallow stratum and side-scan sonar have been made. Acoustic parameters, basic sedimentary parameters, physical-mechanical parameters and ¹⁴C age, etc., have been measured. The sediment elastic parameters, including Young's modulus, bulk modulus, constrained modulus, rigidity modulus, Poisson's ratio, Lames constant, etc., have been calculated. Results show that the compression wave velocity of the seafloor sediment in the sea area ranges from 1474–1700 m/s, and there are high and low sound velocity sediment types in the different sea areas; the shear wave velocity is 150–600 m/s; at 100 kHz the sediment sound attenuation is 35–260 dB/m, the sediment density is 1.4–2.0 g/cm³; the sediment porosity is 42–88%. Sound field parameters and describing sound reciprocity between sea and seafloor are described.     

Bathymetry Inversion with the Gravity-Geologic Method: A Study of Long-Wavelength Gravity Modeling Based on Adaptive Mesh

Modeling of long-wavelength gravity anomaly is crucial for bathymetry inversion with a gravity-geologic method. We propose a new method, named as iGGM, to approximate the long-wavelength gravity anomalies by using a finite element method based on an adaptive triangular mesh which is constructed by uneven control points. The mesh size is suitably controlled to ensure that there are several control points in each grid. By using iGGM, the bathymetry in the South China Sea (Test Area #1: 112°E–119°E, 12°N–20°N) and East China Sea (Test Area #2: 125°E–130°E, 25°N–30°N) is estimated. The performance of the method was evaluated by comparing the predictions with Earth topographical database 1 (ETOPO1) model and shipborne depths in the test points. Results show that the depths derived by iGGM have a strong correlation with the shipborne depths. In the test points, the mean values of their differences are smaller than 10 m. The standard deviations of their differences are smaller than 120 m and their correlation is stronger than 0.98. Meanwhile, the results provided by the iGGM model are comparable with that obtained by the ETOPO1 model, e.g., the differences between iGGM and ETOPO1 models in test points for Test Areas 1 and 2 are 116 and 70 m in standard deviation, respectively.     

Remotely sensing in detecting the water depths and bed load of shallow waters and their changes

Bed load is a type of sand drift and accumulation on the sea-bed. Sand drift is a very important index to survey the erosion or deposition of coastal zone. The change of water depths indicates the change of bed load in shallow waters. The conventional method for measuring water depth uses the shipboard echo sounder, which is accurate for point-measurement, but is a time-consuming and labor-intensive task. For periodic survey of bathymetry as synoptic scale, the remote sensing method may be a viable alternative. Wave spectrum bathymetric (WSB) method takes advantages of remote sensing to obtain the bathymetry of shallow waters safely, economically and quickly. The WSB method is feasible to detect the change of water depths over coastal zones where water depths are less than about 12 m. This remote sensing method is worthy to be well developed and efficiently applied to change detection of water depths and bed load in shallow waters.     

长江口扁担沙动力地貌变化过程研究

河口浅滩不仅为人类提供宝贵湿地资源,而且是调控河势演变的重要因素。研究河口浅滩动力地貌演变规律对航道整治、湿地生态开发及岸堤防护等具有重要价值。本文利用最近150多年的长江口历史海图资料、实测水深与水文泥沙数据,分析长江口南支最大的浅滩—扁担沙动力地貌演变格局及其变化机制。结果表明:(1) 1860-2016年期间,扁担沙反复历经淤积-冲刷-淤积,浅滩由最初水下阴滩发育出露而形成纺锤状沙体,随后演变为细长扁担状,沙尾切滩成爪状沙体,下扁担沙则伴随爪状缝隙被不断填充而淤长;(2)自1954年洪水到目前,扁担沙-2 m、-5 m等深线包络的面积与体积整体上均呈现增长态势,其中面积年均增长率分别为0.88 km²/a和0.81 km²/a,体积年均增长率分别为1.3×10⁶ m³/a和5×10⁶ m³/a;扁担沙浅滩在不同时期冲淤变化不同,其中1998年出现大幅度冲刷,平均冲刷厚度达到1.4 m;(3)扁担沙体积变化和长江入海泥沙的增减无直接联系,但与入海径流量...     

关于登州浅滩作用的研究

１９９０－１９９３年对蓬莱西庄海岸附近海域进行了水文、水深、地质地貌和泥沙等１３项测量和调查。整理分析实测资料并结合数值计算，首次分析研究了登州浅滩的作用并着论述了浅滩被破坏后袭击岸边的波浪增大，波能增中到５－７倍，沿岸输沙量增中到３－５倍。文中指出西庄海岸侵蚀加剧的主要原因是，登州浅滩被破坏后失去防浪消波作用而造成的。     

Structural patterns of the Lake Erçek Basin,eastern Anatolia (Turkey): evidence from single-channel seismic interpretation

This study presents an analysis of the single-channel high-resolution shallow seismic reflection data from Lake Erçek, eastern Anatolia, to provide key information on the deformational elements, on the fault patterns and on the overall tectonic structure of the Lake Erçek Basin. High-resolution seismic data reveal major structural and deformational features, including N–S trending normal faults and W–E trending reverse faults bounding the Lake Erçek Basin, basement highs and folded structures along the marginal sections of the lake. The N–S trending normal faults asymmetrically control the steep western margin and the gentle eastern deltaic section, while the W–E trending reverse faults appear at the northern and southern margins. The N–S trending normal faults, half-graben structure, and the gradual thickening of sediments in the Erçek Basin toward the fault scarps strongly suggest an extensional tectonic regime resulting from an N–S compression. The Erçek Basin is an extension-controlled depocenter; it is a relatively undeformed and flat-lying deep Basin, forming a typical example of the half-graben structure. The N–S trending normal faults appear to be currently active and control the lake center and the E-delta section, resulting in subsidence in the lake floor. In the N- and S-margins of the lake, there is evidence of folding, faulting and accompanying block uplifting, suggesting a significant N–S compressional regime that results in the reverse faulting and basement highs along the marginal sections. The folding and faulting caused strong uplift of the basement blocks in the N- and S- margins, subsequently exposing the shelf and slope areas. The exposed areas are evident in the erosional unconformity of the surface of the basement highs and thinned sediments. The tilted basement strata and subsequent erosion over the basement block highs suggest prominent structural inversion, probably long before the formation of the lake. New high-resolution seismic data reveal the fault patterns and structural lineaments of the Lake Erçek and provide strong evidence for an ongoing extension and subsidence. The present study provides new structural insights that will support future tectonic and sedimentary studies and the development of strategies related to active earthquake faults and major seismic events in the region of Lake Erçek.     

Spatial distribution of seafloor bio-geological and geochemical processes as proxies of fluid flux regime and evolution of a carbonate/hydrates mound,northern Gulf of Mexico

Woolsey Mound, a carbonate/hydrate complex of cold seeps, vents, and seafloor pockmarks in Mississippi Canyon Block 118, is the site of the Gulf of Mexico Hydrates Research Consortium’s (GOMHRC) multi-sensor, multi-disciplinary, permanent seafloor observatory. In preparation for installing the observatory, the site has been studied through geophysical, biological, geological, and geochemical surveys. By integrating high-resolution, swath bathymetry, acoustic imagery, seafloor video, and shallow geological samples in a morpho-bio-geological model, we have identified a complex mound structure consisting of three main crater complexes: southeast, northwest, and southwest. Each crater complex is associated with a distinct fault. The crater complexes exhibit differences in morphology, bathymetric relief, exposed hydrates, fluid venting, sediment accumulation rates, sediment diagenesis, and biological community patterns. Spatial distribution of these attributes suggests that the complexes represent three different fluid flux regimes: the southeast complex seems to be an extinct or quiescent vent; the northwest complex exhibits young, vigorous activity; and the southwest complex is a mature, fully open vent. Geochemical evidence from pore-water gradients corroborates this model suggesting that upward fluid flux waxes and wanes over time and that microbial activity is sensitive to such change. Sulfate and methane concentrations show that microbial activity is patchy in distribution and is typically higher within the northwest and southwest complexes, but is diminished significantly over the southeast complex. Biological community composition corroborates the presence of distinct conditions at the three crater complexes. The fact that three different fluid flux regimes coexist within a single mound complex confirms the dynamic nature of the plumbing system that discharges gases into bottom water. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of bio-geological processes appears to be a valid indicator of multiple fluid flux regimes that coexist at the mound.     

现代黄河三角洲滨浅海区的灾害地质

利用卫星遥感、测深、浅地层剖面及钻孔资料研究了黄河三角洲海岸及近海海洋灾害地质,编制了黄河三角洲海洋灾害地质图。黄河三角洲海岸灾害地质以海岸侵蚀为主,根据1976—2001年海岸的变化速率,可将海岸分为快速侵蚀海岸、中等程度侵蚀海岸、稳定海岸和淤积海岸四类,快速侵蚀海岸和中等程度侵蚀海岸长期以来遭受侵蚀。灾害地质因素有浅层气、灾害地貌、活动断层、海底滑坡、底辟、隆起脊、埋藏冲沟一古河道。浅层气主要分布在老黄河口附近渤海海底,近岸少见。浅层灾害地貌主要分布在三角洲前缘斜坡上的扰动区。扰动区位置在整个三角洲上变动明显,有向岸移动的趋势,斜坡坡度减小,扰动强度减弱。底辟除了发生在废弃三角洲侵蚀区外,还发生在三角洲外的渤海海底下部。隆起脊位于黄河口东部渤海海底,沿NE—SW方向发育,顺隆起脊发育活动断层。