Large submarine slides on the NE Faeroe continental margin

High-resolution seismic profiles of the NE Faeroe margin show large-scale slumping and sliding of the middle and lower continental slope, affecting sediments of presumed Miocene, Pliocene and Quaternary age. Mass-flow deposits on the upper slope are partially covered by more recent deposits, presumed to be contourites. A TOBI deep-tow side-scan sonar mosaic, in combination with deep-towed penetrating echosounder results, shows that the slump complex on the upper slope consists of a buried slide scar, bottleneck slides, debris-flow lobes and a number of shallow slides. Sliding at the middle and lower continental slope seems more recent and shows a steep, irregular main slump scar and very large, intact, angular blocks. The base of the slide at the lower continental slope shows numerous narrow and diverging tracks, 10-15 km length, that end at individual blocks. Several types of debris flows have been mapped, some with longitudinal flow fabrics.