Submarine Mass Movements on the Palomares Continental Slope (W Mediterranean). Morphometric data inventory [Dataset]

Over 3620 km2 of high-resolution bathymetry from the Palomares continental slope was analyzed to quantify the impact of recent mass movements on this margin, which is located in the W. Mediterranean Sea. A total of 936 landslides were identified, mapped and characterized by defining several morphometric variables that outline the accumulated impact of landslides equivalent to 918 km2 and 10.34 km3 of eroded sediment on the continental slope. The smallest event was 0.0014 km2, while the largest was 32.48 km2. The size-frequency analysis of the dataset is consistent with those of other published inventories, including onshore cases. This result allows us to assume that the scale-invariant properties of the events mapped. Scale-invariant properties can be explained by different models; self-organized criticality (SOC) is probably the most assumed by the scientific community, although alternative models may be nominated. Each model has important implications in terms of the landslide distribution and long-term landslide history of any slope. Alternative scenarios, such as submarine slopes, with more precise landslide inventories may contribute to new hazard assessment models that consider scaling exponents derived from size–frequency distributions