Submarine Canyons: Hidden Giants Beneath the Deep

A global analysis of over 2,000 submarine canyons rewrites the story: steep seafloor gradients on continental slopes are the strongest predictor of canyon formation, not river flow. We explore how gravity-driven underwater landslides carve canyons, how turbidity currents power rapid growth and create walls up to five kilometers high, and why these channels are major carbon sinks burying tens of millions of tons of organic carbon each year. We also discuss the practical hazards they pose to cables and pipelines, and how ancient events like the Messinian Salinity Crisis hint at the vast, hidden geology waiting to be mapped.

Note: This podcast was AI-generated, and sometimes AI can make mistakes. Please double-check any critical information.

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