Fossil Methane Seep Deposits and Communities from the Mesozoic of Antarctica

• Main Authors: Witts, James D, Little, Crispin T. S
• Other Authors: Kaim, Andrzej, Cochran, J. Kirk, Landman, Neil H.
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: Springer, Cham 2022
• Subjects: Alexander Island; Antarctic; Antarctic Peninsula; Fossil Bluff; Seymour; Snow Hill; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1983/3aea39fc-d676-491b-80e1-615c661dcb25; https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/3aea39fc-d676-491b-80e1-615c661dcb25; https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05623-9_19

The Antarctic Peninsula region is host to two areas where Mesozoic hydrocarbon seep deposits are found. The oldest is dated to the latest Jurassic (Tithonian) and is found within the Atoll Nunatacks Formation of the Fossil Bluff Group which crops out on eastern Alexander Island. It represents a methane seep that developed in a faulted forearc setting to the west of a long-lived magmatic arc. The fauna is dominated by hokkaidoconchid gastropods. Two islands in the James Ross Basin host multiple seep deposits in sediments dated to the latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian), which crop out on Snow Hill and Seymour islands. These seeps are formed in a backarc basin setting and are dominated by thyasirid, lucinid, and solemyid bivalves. Mesozoic methane seep deposits from Antarctica provide a unique insight into the evolution of seep communities and high-latitude marine palaeoenvironments.