Detailed Seafloor Observations on a Deep-Sea Terrace Along the Japan Trench After the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake

We describe in detail seabed features on a deep-sea terrace of the Japan Trench caused by the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake based on visual seafloor observations. Data of this study was acquired using towed camera surveys and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dive in water depths between about 1300 and 2300 m and was conducted three, six and twelve months after the 2011. Damaged benthic organisms and disseminated bio-fragments might record the flow directions of the seismically or tsunami induced turbidity current. These records would be preserved into the geological record, if they remain undisturbed and getting buried before being reworked.