Research Progress and Prospects of Geohazard Mechanism and Risk Prevention Related to Seabed Fluid Migration

Abstract

Seabed fluid migration is a critical process that involves the transport and movement of liquids, gases, and seawater within and outside the seabed, which has significant impacts on the genesis, development, and evolution of seabed geological disasters. Notably, typical disasters such as submarine landslides in the sea area of China demonstrate a strong relevance with seabed fluid migration phenomena. In this paper, we analyze the distribution characteristics of typical fluid migration system types and geological disaster causes taking the northern South China Sea as an example, and we summarize the observation and investigation methods of seabed fluid migration. Furthermore, we propose the primary issues and content that must be addressed in the study of disasters induced by seabed fluid migration and their prevention and control. Specifically, we suggest that research should focus on the three phases, namely disaster genesis induced by deep high-pressure fluid migration, disaster development caused by gas hydrate decomposition and fluid migration, and disaster triggering resulting from ocean water movement. Based on breakthroughs in technological bottlenecks such as multi-system integration, multi-scale cooperation, and multi-dimensional information processing in deep-sea exploration, we must conduct in-depth research on the evolution mechanisms of seabed disaster genesis, development, and triggering under the influence of seabed fluid migration. Additionally, we must develop theoretical methods for seabed disaster risk prevention and control under the coupled effects of seabed fluid migration, geological environment, and human activities.

Keywords

• seabed fluid migration
• marine geologic hazards
• risk prevention and control
• northern South China Sea