Potential Submarine Geologic Hazards at the Entrance of the Pearl River Estuary in the Northern South China Sea Potential Submarine Geologic Hazards at the Entrance of the Pearl River Estuary in the Northern South China Sea

The potential submarine geologic hazards were distinguished and categorized at the entrance of the Pearl River Estuary in the northern South China Sea, based upon the analysis of side scan sonar and sub-bottom profiler surveying data of about 2500 km long, in an area about 2000 km~2 around the Wanshan Archipelago. The data obtained in the survey has the highest spatial resolution by far, which could reveal more detailed distributions and characteristics of the geologic hazards than before. In the study region, three paleo-channels that were buried about 10–30 m below the seabed were found; more than 10 shallow gas areas were discovered. The sand waves found in the region were generally small and located near the islands, and twenty pockmarks found on the seabed were mostly concentrated to north of Zhuzhou island. There are also many man-made obstacles in the region, such as wreckages, pipeline, etc. In this paper we provide a detailed distribution map of the submarine geologic hazards in this region for the first time, and discuss their formation and harmfulness, which will provide a scientific basis for marine engineering construction, marine geologic disaster prevention and mitigation