Causal link between Quaternary paleoclimatic changes and volcanic islands evolution

High precision radiometric ages of large-volume volcanic flank collapses indicate a causal relationship between the evolution of volcanic islands from different geodynamic contexts and global climatic changes. We present a compilation of previously well-dated events within the last 1 Myr from Tahiti, Hawaii, Canary Islands, together with new ages from Guadeloupe and Martinique (Lesser Antilles). Ages of major flank collapses show a strong correlation with Quaternary climate changes evidenced by a global stack of benthic d18O records. Effectively, most collapses occurred within a glacial to interglacial termination. The ages reported here favor the hypothesis that for the last 900 kyr major flank collapse events occurred during the onset of glacial to interglacial transitions when a sudden influx of melt water from polar ice caps results in rapid sea level rise. Thus, it can be inferred that, when geological causes such as regional tectonics or edifice strength reduction due to volcanic processes are also present, rapid sea level rise can favor large mass wasting events. We propose that following a sub aerial erosion interval during low sea level stands, rapid sea level rise induces enhanced coastal erosion and sudden changes of pore pressure conditions within basal layers, which favor edifice failure. Since these events can trigger tsunamis and can initiate periods of increased volcanic activity, we show here that global warming may result in an increased likelihood of certain geologic hazards, such as large landslides of up to several hundreds cubic kilometers.