2004/01/01 by Robert Karlin, Mark L. Holmes, Sally E. B. Abella +1 · 83 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Geology and Paleoclimatology Research #Landslides and related hazards #Fire effects on ecosystems #Citation #Geology #Geological survey #Landslide #Archaeology #Library science #Holocene #History #Oceanography #Seismology #Paleontology
paper · doi:10.1130/b25158.1
published in Geological Society of America Bulletin 116(1), 94 (Geological Society of America)
openalex publication_date 2004/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/01
Research Article| January 01, 2004 Holocene landslides and a 3500-year record of Pacific Northwest earthquakes from sediments in Lake Washington Robert E. Karlin; Robert E. Karlin 1Department of Geological Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Mark Holmes; Mark Holmes 2Department of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar S.E.B. Abella; S.E.B. Abella 3Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Richard Sylwester Richard Sylwester 4Golder and Associates, Redmond, Washington 98052, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Robert E. Karlin 1Department of Geological Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA Mark Holmes 2Department of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA S.E.B. Abella 3Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA Richard Sylwester 4Golder and Associates, Redmond, Washington 98052, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 25 Mar 2002 Revision Received: 31 Jan 2003 Accepted: 08 May 2003 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (2004) 116 (1-2): 94–108. 10.1130/B25158.1 Article history Received: 25 Mar 2002 Revision Received: 31 Jan 2003 Accepted: 08 May 2003 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Robert E. Karlin, Mark Holmes, S.E.B. Abella, Richard Sylwester; Holocene landslides and a 3500-year record of Pacific Northwest earthquakes from sediments in Lake Washington. GSA Bulletin 2004;; 116 (1-2): 94–108. doi: 10.1130/B25158.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Lake Washington, which forms the eastern boundary of Seattle, is located in a tectonically active area containing several strands of the Seattle fault. High-resolution seismic reflection profiling, sidescan swath imagery, and sediment coring were used to define deformation of Holocene lake sediments and the distribution, geometry, age, and causes of submarine landslides. Numerous large block slides, sediment slumps, and debris flows are present throughout the lake, and large landslides obscure the surficial structure of Seattle fault strands as they pass through the lake. In addition, most bays along the lake margin are the headwalls of large submarine slides. Submerged forests show evidence of deep- seated block failures that have exposed glacial sediments and Tertiary rocks. The massive submarine block slides, and retrogressive submarine slope failures were triggered most likely by large (mb>7) earthquakes on the Seattle fault and/or large to great (mb>8) temblors occurring elsewhere in Cascadia. Buried landslides suggest that submarine slope failures and mass wasting occurred more than once in the last 11,000 yr.Sediments in Lake Washington preserve a record of episodic deposition of turbidites possibly caused by seismically induced submarine landslides. Magnetic susceptibility profiles on 36 gravity cores show a characteristic series of magnetic peaks that can be traced throughout the lake. X- radiography and grain size analyses suggest that the magnetic peaks represent anomalous detrital layers that in some cases are turbidites. The areal extent and magnetic signatures of many of the deposits suggest multiple sources, which is consistent with numerous local landslides caused by large earthquakes. Radiocarbon dating and correlation of the downcore magnetic profiles establish a sediment record in which episodic sedimentary disturbances occurred seven times in the last 3500 yr. If these deposits are seismically induced turbidites (seismites), then large earthquakes have occurred about every 300–500 yr in the Puget Sound region. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.