Disintegrating retrogressive landslides on very‐low‐angle subaqueous slopes, Mississippi delta

Abstract

Abstract Side‐scan sonar records from the interdistributary bay areas of the Mississippi delta (East Bay, Garden Island Bay, and shallow water areas adjacent to Pass à Loutre) have shown widespread subaqueous disturbance of the bottom sediments. These occur in shallow water and on slopes with very low inclinations (0.01°‐0.45°). The morphology of the features is indicative of mass movement processes involving subsidence and downslope translatory movements. The precise conditions under which failure occurs have not been fully documented, but a conceptual model of potential factor interaction can be formulated.