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...
Published in: | Frontiers in Earth Science |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
Other Authors: | , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
HAL CCSD
2023
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://hal.science/hal-04204064 https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2023.1188737 |
id |
ftunivbrest:oai:HAL:hal-04204064v1 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftunivbrest:oai:HAL:hal-04204064v1 2023-12-10T09:48:41+01:00 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 Bunz, Stefan Sultan, Nabil Ramachandran, Hariharan Bedle, Heather Patton, Henry Singhroha, Sunny Knies, Jochen Geo-Ocean (GEO-OCEAN) Université de Bretagne Sud (UBS)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 2023-05 https://hal.science/hal-04204064 https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2023.1188737 en eng HAL CCSD Frontiers Media info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.3389/feart.2023.1188737 hal-04204064 https://hal.science/hal-04204064 doi:10.3389/feart.2023.1188737 ISSN: 2296-6463 Frontiers in Earth Science https://hal.science/hal-04204064 Frontiers in Earth Science, 2023, 11, 1188737 (17p.). ⟨10.3389/feart.2023.1188737⟩ [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics] info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2023 ftunivbrest https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2023.1188737 2023-11-14T23:36:11Z 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 results ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Fram Strait Université de Bretagne Occidentale: HAL Frontiers in Earth Science 11 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Université de Bretagne Occidentale: HAL |
op_collection_id |
ftunivbrest |
language |
English |
topic |
[SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics] |
spellingShingle |
[SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics] Cooke, Frances Plaza-Faverola, Andreia Bunz, 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 |
[SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics] |
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 results ... |
author2 |
Geo-Ocean (GEO-OCEAN) Université de Bretagne Sud (UBS)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Cooke, Frances Plaza-Faverola, Andreia Bunz, Stefan Sultan, Nabil Ramachandran, Hariharan Bedle, Heather Patton, Henry Singhroha, Sunny Knies, Jochen |
author_facet |
Cooke, Frances Plaza-Faverola, Andreia Bunz, 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 |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://hal.science/hal-04204064 https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2023.1188737 |
genre |
Fram Strait |
genre_facet |
Fram Strait |
op_source |
ISSN: 2296-6463 Frontiers in Earth Science https://hal.science/hal-04204064 Frontiers in Earth Science, 2023, 11, 1188737 (17p.). ⟨10.3389/feart.2023.1188737⟩ |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.3389/feart.2023.1188737 hal-04204064 https://hal.science/hal-04204064 doi:10.3389/feart.2023.1188737 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2023.1188737 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Earth Science |
container_volume |
11 |
_version_ |
1784892813859618816 |