Sedimentary deformation relating to episodic seepage in the last 1.2 million years: a multi-scale seismic study from the Vestnesa Ridge, eastern Fram Strait
Seafloor hydrocarbon seepage is a natural fluid release process that occurs worldwide on continental shelves, slopes, and in deep oceanic basins. The Vestnesa sedimentary ridge in the eastern Fram Strait hosts a deep-water gas hydrate system that became charged with hydrocarbons ∼2.7 Ma and has expe...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/feart.2023.1188737 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2023.1188737/full |
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crfrontiers:10.3389/feart.2023.1188737 2024-05-12T08:03:50+00:00 Sedimentary deformation relating to episodic seepage in the last 1.2 million years: a multi-scale seismic study from the Vestnesa Ridge, eastern Fram Strait Cooke, Frances Plaza-Faverola, Andreia Bünz, Stefan Sultan, Nabil Ramachandran, Hariharan Bedle, Heather Patton, Henry Singhroha, Sunny Knies, Jochen Norges Forskningsråd Tromsø Forskningsstiftelse 2023 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/feart.2023.1188737 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2023.1188737/full unknown Frontiers Media SA https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Frontiers in Earth Science volume 11 ISSN 2296-6463 General Earth and Planetary Sciences journal-article 2023 crfrontiers https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2023.1188737 2024-04-18T07:55:01Z Seafloor hydrocarbon seepage is a natural fluid release process that occurs worldwide on continental shelves, slopes, and in deep oceanic basins. The Vestnesa sedimentary ridge in the eastern Fram Strait hosts a deep-water gas hydrate system that became charged with hydrocarbons ∼2.7 Ma and has experienced episodic seepage along the entire ridge until a few thousand years ago, when seepage activity apparently ceased in the west but persisted in the east. Although it has been documented that faults and fractures play a key role in feeding the seeps with thermogenic gases, the mechanisms controlling seepage periodicity remain poorly understood. Here we integrate high-resolution P-cable 3D seismic and Chirp data to investigate the spatial and temporal evolution of high-resolution fractures and fluid flow features in the west of the Vestnesa Ridge. We characterize sediment deformation using a fracture density seismic attribute workflow revealing two highly deformed stratigraphic intervals and associated small-scale pockmarks (<20 m diameter). Chronostratigraphic constraints from the region show that these two highly deformed intervals are influenced by at least three major climatic and oceanic events during the last 1.2 million years: the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (∼1.25–0.7 Ma), the penultimate deglaciation (∼130 ka) and the last deglaciation (Heinrich Stadial 1: ∼16 ka). These periods of deformation appear associated with seismic anomalies potentially correlated with buried methane-derived authigenic carbonate and have been sensitive to shifts in the boundary of the free gas-gas hydrate interface. Our results show shifts (up to ∼30 m) in the depth of the base of the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ) associated with major changes in ocean bottom water temperatures. This ocean-driven effect on the base of the GHSZ since the Last Glacial Maximum coincides with the already highly deformed Mid-Pleistocene Transition sedimentary interval and likely enhanced deformation and gas leakage along the ridge. Our ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Fram Strait Frontiers (Publisher) Frontiers in Earth Science 11 |
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General Earth and Planetary Sciences |
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General Earth and Planetary Sciences Cooke, Frances Plaza-Faverola, Andreia Bünz, Stefan Sultan, Nabil Ramachandran, Hariharan Bedle, Heather Patton, Henry Singhroha, Sunny Knies, Jochen Sedimentary deformation relating to episodic seepage in the last 1.2 million years: a multi-scale seismic study from the Vestnesa Ridge, eastern Fram Strait |
topic_facet |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences |
description |
Seafloor hydrocarbon seepage is a natural fluid release process that occurs worldwide on continental shelves, slopes, and in deep oceanic basins. The Vestnesa sedimentary ridge in the eastern Fram Strait hosts a deep-water gas hydrate system that became charged with hydrocarbons ∼2.7 Ma and has experienced episodic seepage along the entire ridge until a few thousand years ago, when seepage activity apparently ceased in the west but persisted in the east. Although it has been documented that faults and fractures play a key role in feeding the seeps with thermogenic gases, the mechanisms controlling seepage periodicity remain poorly understood. Here we integrate high-resolution P-cable 3D seismic and Chirp data to investigate the spatial and temporal evolution of high-resolution fractures and fluid flow features in the west of the Vestnesa Ridge. We characterize sediment deformation using a fracture density seismic attribute workflow revealing two highly deformed stratigraphic intervals and associated small-scale pockmarks (<20 m diameter). Chronostratigraphic constraints from the region show that these two highly deformed intervals are influenced by at least three major climatic and oceanic events during the last 1.2 million years: the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (∼1.25–0.7 Ma), the penultimate deglaciation (∼130 ka) and the last deglaciation (Heinrich Stadial 1: ∼16 ka). These periods of deformation appear associated with seismic anomalies potentially correlated with buried methane-derived authigenic carbonate and have been sensitive to shifts in the boundary of the free gas-gas hydrate interface. Our results show shifts (up to ∼30 m) in the depth of the base of the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ) associated with major changes in ocean bottom water temperatures. This ocean-driven effect on the base of the GHSZ since the Last Glacial Maximum coincides with the already highly deformed Mid-Pleistocene Transition sedimentary interval and likely enhanced deformation and gas leakage along the ridge. Our ... |
author2 |
Norges Forskningsråd Tromsø Forskningsstiftelse |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Cooke, Frances Plaza-Faverola, Andreia Bünz, Stefan Sultan, Nabil Ramachandran, Hariharan Bedle, Heather Patton, Henry Singhroha, Sunny Knies, Jochen |
author_facet |
Cooke, Frances Plaza-Faverola, Andreia Bünz, Stefan Sultan, Nabil Ramachandran, Hariharan Bedle, Heather Patton, Henry Singhroha, Sunny Knies, Jochen |
author_sort |
Cooke, Frances |
title |
Sedimentary deformation relating to episodic seepage in the last 1.2 million years: a multi-scale seismic study from the Vestnesa Ridge, eastern Fram Strait |
title_short |
Sedimentary deformation relating to episodic seepage in the last 1.2 million years: a multi-scale seismic study from the Vestnesa Ridge, eastern Fram Strait |
title_full |
Sedimentary deformation relating to episodic seepage in the last 1.2 million years: a multi-scale seismic study from the Vestnesa Ridge, eastern Fram Strait |
title_fullStr |
Sedimentary deformation relating to episodic seepage in the last 1.2 million years: a multi-scale seismic study from the Vestnesa Ridge, eastern Fram Strait |
title_full_unstemmed |
Sedimentary deformation relating to episodic seepage in the last 1.2 million years: a multi-scale seismic study from the Vestnesa Ridge, eastern Fram Strait |
title_sort |
sedimentary deformation relating to episodic seepage in the last 1.2 million years: a multi-scale seismic study from the vestnesa ridge, eastern fram strait |
publisher |
Frontiers Media SA |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/feart.2023.1188737 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2023.1188737/full |
genre |
Fram Strait |
genre_facet |
Fram Strait |
op_source |
Frontiers in Earth Science volume 11 ISSN 2296-6463 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2023.1188737 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Earth Science |
container_volume |
11 |
_version_ |
1798845955866361856 |