Cold seep formation from salt diapir-controlled deep biosphere oases

Deep sea cold seeps are sites where hydrogen sulfide, methane, and other hydrocarbon-rich fluids vent from the ocean floor. They are an important component of Earth's carbon cycle in which subsurface hydrocarbons form the energy source for highly diverse benthic micro- and macro-fauna in what is otherwise vast and spartan sea scape. Passive continental margin cold seeps are typically attributed to the migration of hydrocarbons generated from deeply buried source rocks. Many of these seeps occur over salt tectonic provinces, where the movement of salt generates complex fault systems that can enable fluid migration or create seals and traps associated with reservoir formation. The elevated advective heat transport of the salt also produces a chimney effect directly over these structures. Here, we provide geophysical and geochemical evidence that the salt chimney effect in conjunction with diapiric faulting drives a subsurface groundwater circulation system that brings dissolved inorganic carbon, nutrient-rich deep basinal fluids, and potentially overlying seawater onto the crests of deeply buried salt diapirs. The mobilized fluids fuel methanogenic archaea locally enhancing the deep biosphere. The resulting elevated biogenic methane production, alongside the upward heat-driven fluid transport, represents a previously unrecognized mechanism of cold seep formation and regulation.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2024

Erschienen:

2024

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:121

Enthalten in:

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America - 121(2024), 12 vom: 19. März, Seite e2316878121

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Chowdhury, Anirban [VerfasserIn]
Ventura, Gregory T [VerfasserIn]
Owino, Yaisa [VerfasserIn]
Lalk, Ellen J [VerfasserIn]
MacAdam, Natasha [VerfasserIn]
Dooma, John M [VerfasserIn]
Ono, Shuhei [VerfasserIn]
Fowler, Martin [VerfasserIn]
MacDonald, Adam [VerfasserIn]
Bennett, Robbie [VerfasserIn]
MacRae, R Andrew [VerfasserIn]
Hubert, Casey R J [VerfasserIn]
Bentley, Jeremy N [VerfasserIn]
Kerr, Mitchell J [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Cold seep
Deep biosphere
Diapir
Journal Article
Methane
Methanogenesis

Anmerkungen:

Date Revised 27.03.2024

published: Print-Electronic

Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE

doi:

10.1073/pnas.2316878121

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM369565827