Formation and Structures of Horizontal Submarine Fluid Conduit and Venting Systems Associated With Marine Seeps
Authors
Publication Date
2021-11Journal Title
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems
ISSN
1525-2027
Publisher
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Language
en
Type
Article
This Version
AO
VoR
Metadata
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Rocha, L., Gutiérrez-Ariza, C., Pimentel, C., Sánchez-Almazo, I., Sainz-Díaz, C., Cardoso, S., & Cartwright, J. (2021). Formation and Structures of Horizontal Submarine Fluid Conduit and Venting Systems Associated With Marine Seeps. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GC009724
Description
Funder: Spanish Marine Science and Technology Program
Abstract
Abstract: Methane‐rich water moves through conduits beneath the seafloor whose surfaces are formed through precipitation reactions. To understand how such submarine fluid conduit and venting systems form and grow, we develop a detailed mathematical model for this reaction‐advection system and we quantify the evolution of an ensemble of similar filaments. We show that this growth can be described by a superposition of advection and dispersion. We analyze analog laboratory experiments of chemical‐garden type to study the growth of a single filament undergoing a precipitation reaction with the surrounding environment. We apply these findings to geological fluid conduit and venting systems, showing that their irregular trajectories can lead to very effective spreading within the surrounding seabed, thus enhancing contact and exchanges of chemicals between the conduit and external fluids. We discuss how this methane venting leads to the formation of marine authigenic carbonate rocks, and for confirmation, we analyze two field samples from the Gulf of Cadiz for composition and mineralogy of the precipitates. We note the implications of this work for hydrate melting and methane escape from the seabed.
Keywords
ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE, Air/sea constituent fluxes, Volcanic effects, BIOGEOSCIENCES, Climate dynamics, Modeling, COMPUTATIONAL GEOPHYSICS, Numerical solutions, CRYOSPHERE, Clathrate, Dynamics, Avalanches, Mass balance, GEODESY AND GRAVITY, Ocean monitoring with geodetic techniques, Ocean/Earth/atmosphere/hydrosphere/cryosphere interactions, Global change from geodesy, GLOBAL CHANGE, Abrupt/rapid climate change, Climate variability, Earth system modeling, Impacts of global change, Land/atmosphere interactions, Oceans, Regional climate change, Sea level change, Solid Earth, Water cycles, HYDROLOGY, Climate impacts, Hydrological cycles and budgets, INFORMATICS, MARINE GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS, Marine hydrogeology, Seafloor morphology, geology, and geophysics, Gravity and isostasy, ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES, Climate change and variability, Climatology, General circulation, Ocean/atmosphere interactions, Regional modeling, Theoretical modeling, OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERAL, Climate and interannual variability, Numerical modeling, NATURAL HAZARDS, Atmospheric, Geological, Oceanic, Physical modeling, Climate impact, Risk, Disaster risk analysis and assessment, OCEANOGRAPHY: PHYSICAL, Air/sea interactions, Decadal ocean variability, Ocean influence of Earth rotation, Sea level: variations and mean, Surface waves and tides, Tsunamis and storm surges, PALEOCEANOGRAPHY, POLICY SCIENCES, Benefit‐cost analysis, RADIO SCIENCE, Radio oceanography, SEISMOLOGY, Earthquake ground motions and engineering seismology, Volcano seismology, VOLCANOLOGY, Volcano/climate interactions, Atmospheric effects, Volcano monitoring, Effusive volcanism, Mud volcanism, Explosive volcanism, Volcanic hazards and risks, Research Article
Sponsorship
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BD/130401/2017)
Juan de la Cierra‐Formación (FJC2018‐035820‐I)
MINCINN (FIS2016‐77692‐C2‐2‐P, PCIN‐2017‐098)
COST (CA17120)
Identifiers
ggge22663, 2021gc009724
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GC009724
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/330921
Rights
Licence:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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