Chirp (2–7-kHz) echo characters of the South Korea Plateau, East Sea: styles of mass movement and sediment gravity flow

The South Korea Plateau is a complex of ridges, seamount chains, troughs and a basin. Detailed analysis of 12 019 line-km Chirp (2–7-kHz) subbottom profiles from the South Korea Plateau and the eastern continental slope of Korea reveals a distinctive zonal distribution of echo types depending systematically on seafloor morphology. Pelagites/hemipelagites (type I-2) and basement highs (type III-1) prevail on the ridge summits, seamount chains and the upper to middle part of the eastern continental slope of Korea, and are commonly bounded downslope by creeps (type III-3) and slides/slumps (type IV-1) that occur extensively over the entire slope areas of the ridges, seamount chains and eastern continental slope. The mass-movement deposits change downslope to debrites and turbidites (types II, III-2, IV-2 and IV-3) in the troughs and Onnuri Basin, suggesting successive downslope evolution from slide and slump to debris flow and turbidity current. The voluminous creeps, slides and slumps over the entire slope areas of the plateau and eastern continental slope, deeper than 300 m in water depth, were most likely generated by frequent seismic shakings.