琼东南盆地北礁凹陷梅山组顶部丘形反射特征及成因分析

南海琼东南盆地北礁凹陷中中新统梅山组顶部丘形反射目前引起广泛关注,前人推测为生物礁、重力蠕动与底流叠加成因、等深积丘等。本文通过钻井资料、二维、三维地震资料精细刻画丘形反射（残丘）和丘间水道特征及其成因。残丘及水道在北礁凸起不发育,在边缘斜坡中部和高地较发育,且有向高地两边规模减小趋势,不具对称性,残丘和水道呈平行-亚平行近E-W向展布,局部有合并分叉现象,与北礁凸起走向呈一小角度;丘宽562~1 223 m,丘高29~87 m,丘长10 km左右,存在丘翼削蚀,水道底蚀现象。地震属性分析表明三维工区西南部残丘间水道由砂泥岩互层充填,形成长条形强振幅,而残丘为中-低振幅;地震、钻井资料分析表明丘形反射（残丘）由钙质泥岩和泥岩组成,属于半深海沉积,且残丘内部波阻抗为5.0×106~6.5×106kg/m3·m/s,低于火山岩、灰岩波阻抗,属于砂泥岩地层范畴;根据梅山组下段水道由西向东强振幅变弱、分叉、前积反射和海山附近底流（等深流）沉积剥蚀特征综合判定底流古流向自西向东,根据海山两翼地震反射特征推测底流可追溯至晚中新世早期（11.6 Ma BP）,综合分析认为,研究区中中新统梅山组丘形反射是晚中新世早期底流切割梅山组地层形成的残丘。     

琼东南盆地北礁地区梅山组丘形反射特征

目前琼东南盆地北礁凹陷中中新统梅山组顶部丘形反射引起广泛关注,但对其成因有不同认识。本文通过高精度二维、三维地震、钻井资料,研究丘形反射的特征。研究表明北礁地区梅山组顶部发育近东西向展布的长条形丘体,丘间为水道,丘内为中-弱振幅的地震反射,与西南部强振幅水道砂岩形成鲜明的对比,波阻抗反演揭示丘内为低波阻抗,属泥岩范畴。梅山组塑性丘内地层发生重力扩展,在其上覆的脆性地层（强振幅砂岩和弱振幅泥岩）发育多边形断层,反推出梅山组形成于深水环境,丘为泥丘,沉积环境分析也认为北礁凹陷中中新世为半深海沉积,梅山组的丘-谷分别对应上覆地层的谷-丘,认为是底流剥蚀/沉积成因。本文的研究对南海北部丘形反射的认识有重要意义,并可降低油气探勘风险。     

琼东南盆地南部中新统“丘”形反射成因探讨

在琼东南盆地南部中新统梅山组广泛发育“丘”形反射, 对其识别分析具有重要的意义。这些“丘”形反射主要分布在北礁凹陷及周缘斜坡带上, 在顶底界面呈强反射, 在内部成层、杂乱或为空白反射, 有时在顶部见披覆沉积, 从盆地中心北礁凹陷向边缘斜坡带迁移生长。通过对“丘”形反射的古构造和古地理背景、几何学特征及地震响应特征等方面综合分析, 对其成因进行了探讨, 排除了其为生物礁、泥底辟以及火山丘的可能, 认为其可能为深水环境底流作用下形成的等深流沉积或某种沉积物波。     

Growth history of a cold-water coral covered carbonate mound — Galway Mound, Porcupine Seabight, NE-Atlantic

During the past decade, knowledge about the ecology and the environment of giant carbonate mounds has been growing continuously. However, still little is known about their growth dynamics. Three gravity cores from Galway Mound, Belgica Mound Province in the Porcupine Seabight off Ireland, were investigated for their sedimentological, geophysical and geochemical properties to get insight into the long-term development of this cold-water coral covered carbonate mound. These data were supplemented by radiometric age determinations on planktonic foraminifera and coral skeletons. The records from three different settings on Galway Mound reveal a coherent growth history that in general is similar to what is known from other carbonate mounds at the Irish margin. However, whereas other cores are often disturbed by numerous and not correlateable hiatuses, Galway Mound, in contrast, appears to be characterised by only one major hiatus representing a time gap of ~ 250 kyr. Several mechanisms are discussed in this study as possible causes for the observed stratigraphic record at Galway Mound. The most likely explanation is that the hiatus has its origin in a major mass wasting event on an instable, possibly glacial, unit that could have acted as a slip plane. The overall Late Quaternary growth history of Galway Mound fits well into existing cyclical mound development models, pointing to Galway Mound being an ‘actively growing’ mound (“coral bank stage”) at present.     

Association among active seafloor deformation, mound formation, and gas hydrate growth and accumulation within the seafloor of the Santa Monica Basin, offshore California

Seafloor blister-like mounds, methane migration and gas hydrate formation were investigated through detailed seafloor surveys in Santa Monica Basin, offshore of Los Angeles, California. Two distinct deep-water (≥ 800 m water depth) topographic mounds were surveyed using an autonomous underwater vehicle (carrying a multibeam sonar and a chirp sub-bottom profiler) and one of these was explored with the remotely operated vehicle Tiburon. The mounds are > 10 m high and > 100 m wide dome-shaped bathymetric features. These mounds protrude from crests of broad anticlines (~ 20 m high and 1 to 3 km long) formed within latest Quaternary-aged seafloor sediment associated with compression between lateral offsets in regional faults. No allochthonous sediments were observed on the mounds, except slumped material off the steep slopes of the mounds. Continuous streams of methane gas bubbles emanate from the crest of the northeastern mound, and extensive methane-derived authigenic carbonate pavements and chemosynthetic communities mantle the mound surface. The large local vertical displacements needed to produce these mounds suggests a corresponding net mass accumulation has occurred within the immediate subsurface. Formation and accumulation of pure gas hydrate lenses in the subsurface is proposed as a mechanism to blister the seafloor and form these mounds.     

琼东南盆地北礁凹陷梅山组单向迁移水道特征及成因探讨

深水区重力流与底流交互作用的过程、响应及动力学机制是海洋沉积学研究的前沿和薄弱环节。本文通过三维地震资料,在深水区北礁凹陷南西部梅山组发现多条相间分布的长条形顺直强振幅水道,垂直于西沙隆起(南部隆起)北斜坡走向,向南西方向单向迁移,水道具有南西陡(凹岸或陡岸)北东缓(凸岸或缓岸)的特征,该类水道分为侵蚀界面和水道砂-堤岸泥过渡复合体系两个单元,侵蚀界面在凹岸的削截反射明显多于凸岸,水道砂-堤岸泥过渡复合体振幅强度由凹岸强振幅逐渐过渡为凸岸弱振幅。分析认为,该类水道发育于中中新世半深海环境,不同于向底流下游方向单向迁移的峡谷,它们向底流上游方向发生单向迁移,并提出其成因模式:前期来自南部的浊流下切形成负向地貌单元(水道),底流对这一地貌单元进行改造,形成迎流面缓(凸岸)背流面陡(凹岸)的地貌,同时驱使浊流上部顺底流方向偏移,形成溢岸浊流沉积,致凹岸沉积速率低,凸岸沉积速率高,这样就迫使水道逆底流方向偏移。沉积物源、中层水相关底流、古气候和海平面的变化、北礁凸起古地形控制是该区单向迁移强振幅水道发育的因素。本研究在南海首次发现这种向底流上游方向单向迁移的水道,是底流与重力流交互作用的新型类型,对古海洋、古气候研究,深水油气勘探有着重要的意义,希望引起地质学家的重视。     

Submerged vegetation of the Rotorua and Waikato Lakes

In Lake Rotoiti, North Island, New Zealand, ‘cyclic change’ apparently occurs among mounds of the ‘Low Mixed Community’ of plants; this is the first evidence of cyclic change in a wholly submerged community. The Low Mixed Community grows on gently sloping, sandy substrates ndar the shores of bays sheltered from the prevailing SW winds, and usually extends to depths of about 1.8 m, where dense beds of Lagarosiphon major begin.

The work we report Was done in 1968–70. We sampled ithe community by transects, various types of quadrats, and by monitoring marked mounds, and from these data we analysed the composition, distribution, growth and fate of mounds at various depths.

We observed that one species of five genera (namely Glossostigma spp., Elarine spp., Lilaeopsis lacustris, Elodea canadensis, and Myriophyllum propinquum) colonised bare sand and trapped more sand; as the mound grew, other species appeared. Mounds in deeper water (> 0.9 m) were larger and floristically richer than those in shallower water, and were thus probably older. In calm conditions, mounds sometimes fused to form a polytypic sward. Typically, however, the backwash of waves eroded the shoreward ends and sides of mounds; the mounds thus became elongated parallel to the wind direction. Provided that their growth at the offshore end at least balanced erosion at their shoreward ends, some marked mounds tended to grow downslope into deeper, less often disturbed water.

Although backwash started mound erosion down to 0.6 m depth, it could also erode bare areas in mounds (caused by die‐off of plants, herbicide sprays, and mechanical damage) down to 1.2 m, the depth to which it normally influenced loose substrate. In exceptional easterly storms, backwash might influence plants at greater depths, and perhaps locally destroy the community so that the cycle would have to begin again.

Briefly, we suggest that these characteristic signs of cyclic change in this community result from an interaction between fragile mounds of plants growing on an unstable, sandy substrate which is easily eroded by wave backwash. However, more observations over a longer time will be needed before our prima facie case for the occurrence of cyclic change can be proved.

We also recorded an invasion of Lagarosiphon over mound plants into depths of only 0.9 m, and we proposed for the “Low Mixed Community” the appropriate name Glossostigmatum aquaticae because Glossostigma spp. predominated in all floristic analyses.     

南海北部珠江口盆地深水区荔湾凹陷构造-热演化

The Liwan Sag, with an area of 4 000 km~2, is one of the deepwater sags in the Zhujiang River(Pearl River) Mouth Basin, northern South China Sea. Inspired by the exploration success in oil and gas resources in the deepwater sags worldwide, we conducted the thermal modeling to investigate the tectono-thermal history of the Liwan Sag,which has been widely thought to be important to understand tectonic activities as well as hydrocarbon potential of a basin. Using the multi-stage finite stretching model, the tectonic subsidence history and the thermal history have been obtained for 12 artificial wells, which were constructed on basis of one seismic profile newly acquired in the study area. Two stages of rifting during the time periods of 49–33.9 Ma and 33.9–23 Ma can be recognized from the tectonic subsidence pattern, and there are two phases of heating processes corresponding to the rifting.The reconstructed average basal paleo-heat flow values at the end of the rifting events are ~70.5 and ~94.2 mW/m~2 respectively. Following the heating periods, the study area has undergone a persistent thermal attenuation phase since 23 Ma and the basal heat flow cooled down to ~71.8–82.5 mW/m~2 at present.     

Structural characteristics of central depression belt in deep-water area of the Qiongdongnan Basin and the hydrocarbon discovery of Songnan low bulge

The Qiongdongnan Basin has the first proprietary high-yield gas field in deep-water areas of China and makes the significant breakthroughs in oil and gas exploration. The central depression belt of deep-water area in the Qiongdongnan Basin is constituted by five sags, i.e. Ledong Sag, Lingshui Sag, Songnan Sag, Baodao Sag and Changchang Sag. It is a Cenozoic extensional basin with the basement of pre-Paleogene as a whole. The structural research in central depression belt of deep-water area in the Qiongdongnan Basin has the important meaning in solving the basic geological problems, and improving the exploration of oil and gas of this basin. The seismic interpretation and structural analysis in this article was operated with the 3D seismic of about 1.5×10~4 km~2 and the 2D seismic of about 1×10~4 km. Eighteen sampling points were selected to calculate the fault activity rates of the No.2 Fault. The deposition rate was calculated by the ratio of residual formation thickness to deposition time scale. The paleo-geomorphic restoration was obtained by residual thickness method and impression method. The faults in the central depression belt of deep-water area of this basin were mainly developed during Paleogene, and chiefly trend in NE–SW, E–W and NW–SE directions. The architectures of these sags change regularly from east to west: the asymmetric grabens are developed in the Ledong Sag, western Lingshui Sag, eastern Baodao Sag, and western Changchang Sag; half-grabens are developed in the Songnan Sag, eastern Lingshui Sag, and eastern Changchang Sag. The tectonic evolution history in deep-water area of this basin can be divided into three stages,i.e. faulted-depression stage, thermal subsidence stage, and neotectonic stage. The Ledong-Lingshui sags, near the Red River Fault, developed large-scale sedimentary and subsidence by the uplift of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during neotectonic stage. The Baodao-Changchang sags, near the northwest oceanic sub-basin, developed the large-scale magmatic activities and the transition of stress direction by the expansion of the South China Sea. The east sag belt and west sag belt of the deep-water area in the Qiongdongnan Basin, separated by the ancient Songnan bulge, present prominent differences in deposition filling, diaper genesis, and sag connectivity. The west sag belt has the advantages in high maturity, well-developed fluid diapirs and channel sand bodies, thus it has superior conditions for oil and gas migration and accumulation. The east sag belt is qualified by the abundant resources of oil and gas. The Paleogene of Songnan low bulge, located between the west sag belt and the east sag belt, is the exploration potential. The YL 8 area, located in the southwestern high part of the Songnan low bulge, is a favorable target for the future gas exploration. The Well 8-1-1 was drilled in August 2018 and obtained potential business discovery, and the Well YL8-3-1 was drilled in July 2019 and obtained the business discovery.     

Mud volcanoes at the front of the Makran accretionary complex,Pakistan

Conical mounds, 1–1.5 km in diameter, and up to 65 m high were mapped at the foot of the active Makran continental margin. The mounds developed seaward of the accretionary front in a relatively planar zone where the beginning of build-up of tectonic pressure initiates deformation. Based on shallow high-resolution 4 kHz sediment echosounding, the sedimentary sequence in this area is generally well stratified, as indicated by closely spaced horizontal reflections. However, in the vicinity of the mounds the sediment is characterised by many acoustically transparent zones, which are 100–300 m in diameter and cut near-vertically through the horizontal reflectors.Two sediment cores from the top of the largest cone and a neighbouring acoustically transparent zone reveal small-scale post-depositional deformation in a stratified sequence and methane concentrations up to 40,000 ng/g. This deformation and disruption of potential reflectors provides a clue to explain the acoustic transparency: we interpret it as caused by the rise of charged fluids and mud, leading initially to the (slight) disturbance of the generally good acoustic reflectors and eventually to the formation of conical mud mounds (mud volcanoes). MCS data, showing a buried mound in an analogous structural position, support the idea of tectonically induced mud/fluid expulsion seaward of the accretionary front.     

New Observations on the Distribution of Past and Present Hydrothermal Activity in the TAG Area of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (26°08′ N)

Seafloor acoustic and photographic imagery combined with high- resolution bathymetry are used to investigate the geologic and tectonic relations between active and relict zones of hydrothermal venting in the TAG (Trans-Atlantic Geotraverse) hydrothermal field at 26°08N on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). The TAG field consists of a large, currently active, high-temperature mound, two relict zones (the Alvin and Mir zones), and an active low-temperature zone. The active mound and the Alvin relict zone lie along a series of closely-spaced, axis-parallel (NNE-trending) faults in an area of active extension east of the neovolcanic zone. The Alvin zone extends for 2.5 km along these faults from the valley floor onto the eastern wall, and consists of at least five mounds identified using DSL-120 sidescan sonar and bathymetric data. The existence of sulfide structures on most of these mounds is verified with near-bottom electronic still camera (ESC) images from the Argo-II deep-towed vehicle, and is confirmed in at least one case with collected samples. Two of these mounds were previously unidentified. The existence of these mounds extends the length of the Alvin zone by ~0.5 km to the south. Much of the Alvin relict zone appears to be buried by debris from a large mass wasting event on the eastern wall of the median valley. The Mir zone, located on normal fault blocks of the eastern valley wall, cannot be clearly identified in the sidescan data and no structural connections from it to the active mound or Alvin zone can be discerned. The active mound is located at the intersection of an older oblique fault set with the younger axis- parallel faults which extend into the Alvin relict zone, and no fresh volcanics are observed in the vicinity of the mound. The fact that both the active mound and the Alvin relict zone lie along the same set of active, axis-parallel faults suggests that the faults may be a major control on the location of hydrothermal activity by providing pathways for fluid flow from a heat source at the ridge axis.     

Seismic characteristics of a reef carbonate reservoir and implications for hydrocarbon exploration in deepwater of the Qiongdongnan Basin,northern South China Sea

Our analysis of approximately 40,000 km of multichannel 2-D seismic data, reef oil-field seismic data, and data from several boreholes led to the identification of two areas of reef carbonate reservoirs in deepwater areas (water depth ≥ 500 m) of the Qiongdongnan Basin (QDNB), northern South China Sea. High-resolution sequence stratigraphic analysis revealed that the transgressive and highstand system tracts of the mid-Miocene Meishan Formation in the Beijiao and Ledong–Lingshui Depressions developed reef carbonates. The seismic features of the reef carbonates in these two areas include chaotic bedding, intermittent internal reflections, chaotic or blank reflections, mounded reflections, and apparent amplitude anomalies, similar to the seismic characteristics of the LH11-1 reef reservoir in the Dongsha Uplift and Island Reef of the Salawati Basin, Indonesia, which house large oil fields. The impedance values of reefs in the Beijiao and Ledong–Lingshui Depressions are 8000–9000 g/cc × m/s. Impedance sections reveal that the impedance of the LH11-1 reef reservoir in the northern South China Sea is 8000–10000 g/cc × m/s, whereas that of pure limestone in BD23-1-1 is >10000 g/cc × m/s. The mid-Miocene paleogeography of the Beijiao Depression was dominated by offshore and neritic environments, with only part of the southern Beijiao uplift emergent at that time. The input of terrigenous sediments was relatively minor in this area, meaning that terrigenous source areas were insignificant in terms of the Beijiao Depression; reef carbonates were probably widely distributed throughout the depression, as with the Ledong–Lingshui Depression. The combined geological and geophysical data indicate that shelf margin atolls were well developed in the Beijiao Depression, as in the Ledong–Lingshui Depression where small-scale patch or pinnacle reefs developed. These reef carbonates are promising reservoirs, representing important targets for deepwater hydrocarbon exploration.     

Cenozoic sedimentary evolution of deepwater sags in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, northern South China Sea

Recent exploration revealed the high potential for hydrocarbon in the deepwater sags, Pearl River Mouth Basin, northern South China Sea. This paper reports its Cenozoic sedimentary evolution through backstripping of high precision depth data of interpreted sequence boundaries. Local backstripping parameters were mapped based on well and geophysical data. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the reliability of decompaction results were largely improved by using the local porosity parameters and the lithological parameters that vary with grid nodes. Maps of sedimentation rates of 17 sequences from 65 Ma to the present were constructed, showing the spatial–temporal variation of the sedimentation rate. Three rapid depositional stages, 65–32, 29–23.3, 18.5–10.5 Ma, and three slow depositional stages, 32–29, 23.3–18.5, 10.5–0 Ma, were identified with abrupt changes of sedimentary patterns. The three rapid depositional stages were in accord with syn-rifting stage, the first post-rifting depositional stage, and the second post-rifting depositional stage, respectively. And the three slow depositional stages were in keeping with three tectonic events respectively. Several significant sedimentary discontinuities at 32, 23.3 and 10.5 Ma were observed and discussed. The comparison between the study area and the ODP Site 1148 at 32–23.3 Ma indicates that before ~29 Ma the ODP Site 1148 was at similar sedimentation regime as that in the Baiyun and Liwan sags, but significant diversity appeared after ~29 Ma, when a large quantity of terrigenous sediments was trapped by strong post-rifting subsidence in the Baiyun and Liwan sags and could not reach the lower slope areas. Study revealed that the most rapid accumulation from 18.5 to 17.5 Ma might be mainly owing to the large sediment supply during this strong monsoon period.     

The Porcupine Bank Canyon coral mounds: oceanographic and topographic steering of deep-water carbonate mound development and associated phosphatic deposition

The head of a canyon system extending along the western Porcupine Bank (west of Ireland) and which accommodates a large field of giant carbonate mounds was investigated during two cruises (INSS 2000 and TTR-13). Multibeam and sidescan sonar data (600?C1,150?m water depth) suggest that the pre-existing seabed topography acts as a significant factor controlling mound distribution and shape. The mounds are concentrated along the edges of the canyon or are associated with a complex fault system traced around the canyon head, comprising escarpments up to 60?m high and several km long. The sampling for geochemical and petrographic analysis of numerous types of authigenic deposits was guided by sidescan sonar and video recordings. Calcite-cemented biogenic rubble was observed at the top and on the flanks of the carbonate mounds, being associated with both living and dead corals (Lophelia pertusa, Madrepora oculata and occasional Desmophyllum cristagalli). This can plausibly be explained by dissolution of coral debris facilitated by strong currents along the mound tops and flanks. In turn, the dissolved carbon is recycled and precipitated as interstitial micrite. Calcite, dolomite and phosphatic hardgrounds were identified in samples from the escarpment framing the eastern part of the survey area. The laterally extensive phosphatic hardgrounds represent a novel discovery in the region, supplying hard substrata for the establishment of new coral colonies. Based on existing knowledge of regional oceanographic conditions, complemented with new CTD measurements, it is suggested that water column stratification, enhanced bottom currents, and upwelling facilitate the deposition of organic matter, followed by phosphatisation leading to the formation of phosphate-glauconite deposits. The occurrence of strong bottom currents was confirmed by means of video observations combined with acoustic and sampling data, providing circumstantial evidence of fine- to medium-grained sand. Evidently, slope breaks such as escarpments and deep-water canyon headwalls are important structural elements in the development of mature carbonate mounds induced by deep-water coral growth. Stable isotope data show no evidence of methane-derived carbon in the carbonates and lithified sediments of the Porcupine Bank Canyon mounds.     

北部湾盆地涠西南凹陷与海中凹陷古近纪沉积关系探讨

涠西南凹陷与海中凹陷相邻,油气勘探成果及石油地质条件认识程度不同。通过对地层原始产状的恢复,讨论了涠西南低凸起对两凹陷古近纪沉积环境的阻隔作用,并对古新世和始新世沉积可容空间原型进行了恢复,认为古新世两凹陷局部连通,始新世和渐新世两凹陷全部连通;3号断层作为两凹陷区划边界的一部分,其活动强度控制了沉积可容空间的分布和容积的大小,始新世3号断层活动强度最大,其形成的沉积可容空间也最大,由于两凹陷沉积连通,因此两凹陷始新统生烃能力可以进行类比分析。     

A giant (5.3 × 10 m) middle Miocene (c. 15 Ma) sediment mound (M1) above the Siri Canyon, Norwegian–Danish Basin: Origin and significance

A large-scale enigmatic mound structure (M1) has been discovered in middle Miocene strata of the Norwegian–Danish Basin, c. 10 km east and updip of the Central Graben. It is located about 1 km beneath the seabed and clearly resolved by a 3D seismic data set focused on the deeper, remobilised, sand-filled Siri Canyon. M1 comprises two culminations, up to 80 m high and up to 1400 m long, constituting a sediment volume of some 5.3 × 10⁷ m³. It is characterized by a hard reflection at the top, a soft reflection at the base, differential compaction relative to the surrounding sediments, and 10 ms TWT velocity pull up of underlying reflections, indicating a relatively fast mound fill, attributed to the presence of sand within the mound. Internal seismic reflections are arranged in an asymmetric concentric pattern, suggesting a progressive aggradation to the NW, downstream to a mid-Miocene contour current system. Numerous elongated pockmarks occur in the upper Miocene succession close to the mound and indicate that the study area was influenced by gas expulsion in the mid- and late Miocene.The reflection configuration, velocity, dimensions, regional setting, and isolated location can best be explained by interpreting the mound as a giant sand volcano extruded >1 km upward from the Siri Canyon during the middle Miocene (c. 15 Ma). The likely causes of this remarkable structure include gas charge and lateral pressure transfer from the Central Graben along the Siri Canyon reservoir. While this is the first such structure described from this part of the North Sea, similar-aged sand extrudites have recently been inferred from seismic observations in the North Viking Graben, thus suggesting that the mid-Miocene was a time of widespread and intense sediment remobilization and fluid expulsion in the North Sea.     

Seafloor and buried mounds on the western slope of the Niger Delta

Seafloor mounds are potential geohazards to offshore rig emplacement and drilling operations and may contain evidence of underlying petroleum systems. Therefore, identifying and mapping them is crucial in de-risking exploration and production activities in offshore domains.A 738 km² high resolution three-dimensional seismic dataset was used to investigate the occurrence, seismic characteristics and distribution of features interpreted as seafloor and buried sediment mounds, at water-depths of 800–1600 m, on the western Niger Delta slope. Fifteen seafloor mounds and eighteen shallowly buried mounds were identified. The seafloor mounds are characterised by lower seismic amplitude anomalies than the surrounding seabed sediments, and overlie vertical zones of acoustic blanking. The buried mounds in contrast are characterised by high amplitude anomalies; they also directly overlie sub-vertical zones of acoustic blanking. Seismic evidences from the features, their distribution patterns and tectono-stratigraphic associations suggest that their formation was controlled by the juxtaposition of buried channels and structural highs and their formation caused by focused fluid flow and expulsion of entrained sediments at the seabed.Considering the acoustic and geometrical characteristics of the mounds and comparing them with mound-shaped features from around the world, we conclude that the mounds most likely comprise heterolithic seafloor extrusions of muds and sands from the Agbada Formation with gas and possibly oil in some of the pore space giving rise to the acoustic characteristics.     

Sediment dynamics modulated by burrowing crab activities in contrasting SW Atlantic intertidal habitats

Biogenic bottom features, animal burrows and biological activities interact with the hydrodynamics of the sediment–water interface to produce altered patterns of sediment erosion, transport and deposition which have consequences for large-scale geomorphologic features. It has been suggested that depending on the hydrodynamic status of the habitat, the biological activity on the bottom may have a variety of effects. In some cases, different bioturbation activities by the same organism can result in different consequences. The burrowing crab Neohelice granulata is the most important bioturbator at SW Atlantic saltmarshes and tidal plains. Because of the great variety of habitats that this species may inhabit, it is possible to compare its bioturbation effects between zones dominated by different hydrodynamic conditions. Internal marsh microhabitats, tidal creeks bottoms and basins, and open mudflats were selected as contrasting zones for the comparison on a large saltmarsh at Bahía Blanca Estuary (Argentina). Crab burrows act as passive traps of sediment in all zones, because their entrances remain open during inundation periods at high tide. Mounds are generated when crabs remove sediments from the burrows to the surface and become distinctive features in all the zones. Two different mechanisms of sediment transport utilizing mounds as sediment sources were registered. In the first one, parts of fresh mound sediments were transported when exposed to water flow during flooding and ebbing tide, with higher mound erosion where currents were higher as compared to internal marsh habitats and open mudflats. In the second mechanism, mounds exposed to atmospheric influence during low tide became desiccated and cracked forming ellipsoidal blocks, which were then transported by currents in zones of intense water flow in the saltmarsh edge. Sedimentary dynamics varied between zones; crabs were promoting trapping of sediments in the internal saltmarsh (380 g m⁻² day⁻¹) and open mudflats (1.2 kg m⁻² day⁻¹), but were enhancing sediment removal in the saltmarsh edge (between 10 and 500 g m⁻² day⁻¹ in summer). The implication is that biologically mediated sedimentological changes could be different among microhabitats, potentially leading to contrasting geomorphologic effects within a particular ecosystem.     

The stratigraphic and geographic distribution of giant craters and remobilised sediment mounds on the mid Norway margin,and their relation to long term fluid flow

Large craters associated with mounds of remobilised sediment have been recently mapped on the mid Norway margin in the Møre Basin. These craters and mounds may be linked to the long term migration of fluids upwards from the lower levels of the Møre Basin which exploit hydrothermal vent complexes emplaced in the late Paleocene and early Eocene. All of the craters are located on a regionally correlative seismic surface that is correlated with the basal shear plane of Slide W, a slide located at the base of the Plio-Pleistocene Naust Formation. The Craters are positioned in the western area of the Møre Basin at the foot of the continental slope on the crests and flanks of Miocene domes, where Oligocene biosiliceous ooze subcrops on the basal shear surface of Slide W. Not all of the craters are filled by Slide W. Mounds are emplaced above those craters which are filled by Slide W on the top surface of Slide W. Stratal relationships show that the mounds were emplaced on the paleo-seabed. We present and discuss two models that illustrate processes that may have been involved in the formation of craters and remobilisation of sediments. In one model, an eruption of fluid from beneath remobilises ooze into ooze mounds in a single event triggering slope failure, whereas in the other model the emplacement of Slide W and later slides loads low density ooze causing it to undergo liquefaction, a process which may have been facilitated by the trapping of continuous long term fluid migrating from beneath, causing the ooze to remobilise into ooze mounds in two or more events.