The LUSI mud volcano triggering controversy: Was it caused by drilling?

Following the Yogyakarta earthquake on May 27th, 2006, the subsequent eruption of a mud volcano has been closely observed and analyzed by the geological community. The mud volcano, known as LUSI, began erupting near the Banjarpanji-1 exploration well in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia. LUSI offers a unique opportunity to study the genesis and development of a mud volcano.     

High-resolution mapping of large gas emitting mud volcanoes on the Egyptian continental margin (Nile Deep Sea Fan) by AUV surveys

Two highly active mud volcanoes located in 990–1,265 m water depths were mapped on the northern Egyptian continental slope during the BIONIL expedition of R/V Meteor in October 2006. High-resolution swath bathymetry and backscatter imagery were acquired with an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV)-mounted multibeam echosounder, operating at a frequency of 200 kHz. Data allowed for the construction of ~1 m pixel bathymetry and backscatter maps. The newly produced maps provide details of the seabed morphology and texture, and insights into the formation of the two mud volcanoes. They also contain key indicators on the distribution of seepage and its tectonic control. The acquisition of high-resolution seafloor bathymetry and acoustic imagery maps with an AUV-mounted multibeam echosounder fills the gap in spatial scale between conventional multibeam data collected from a surface vessel and in situ video observations made from a manned submersible or a remotely operating vehicle.     

浙江北部沿海婆罗囊螺（Retusa borneensis)生态敏感因子的筛选研究

根据 2 0 0 1年 4月— 2 0 0 2年 9月间对浙江北部沿海婆罗囊螺资源生态调查与实验生态观察、生物学特性研究、敏感药物选择与区域应用实验所获资料 ,以婆罗囊螺繁殖盛期优势群体与同时期滩涂养殖主要经济种类泥螺、彩虹明樱蛤优势群体间生态耐受特性比较为基础 ,通过建立基于利比希最小因子定律和谢尔福德耐受性定律基础之上的婆罗囊螺生态敏感因子确定方法 ,对婆罗囊螺生态敏感因子及其敏感度指数进行定量分析研究。结果表明 ,婆罗囊螺6h内温度、盐度及酸碱度的最大生态幅分别为 0— 40℃、5— 65和 3.92— 9.5 ,最适生态幅分别为温度 1 0— 30℃、盐度 1 7— 35和酸碱度 5 .5— 9.5 ;各实验动物对温度、盐度及酸碱度的生态敏感度指数分别为 :婆罗囊螺呈酸碱度 >温度 >盐度 ,泥螺呈温度 =盐度 >酸碱度 ,彩虹明樱蛤则表现为温度≈酸碱度≈盐度 ;各实验生物间对温度、盐度及酸碱度生态敏感度指数分别表现为 ,温度呈彩虹明樱蛤≈婆罗囊螺 >泥螺 ,盐度呈泥螺 >彩虹明樱蛤≈婆罗囊螺 ,酸碱度呈婆罗囊螺 >泥螺 >彩虹明樱蛤。在讨论并设定酸碱度作为婆罗囊螺生态敏感因子的同时 ,为不影响涂泥底质安全 ,保证泥螺和彩虹明樱蛤的正常存活 ,确定酸碱度对婆罗囊螺的有效作用水平为 9.5— 1 0。     

莺歌海盆地CO2气富集与热流体活动关系

莺歌海盆地CO2气分布很不均匀,一直是影响油气勘探成果的主要原因之一。在前人的研究基础上,详细地总结了CO2分布与热流体活动在平面、纵向和时间上的对应特征,认为热流体活动与CO2分布的确存在一定的对应关系;同时,认为热流体可以促进CO2气源形成,可作为CO2气运移的栽体,同时促进运移通道的扩大,也为CO2气运移提供能量,流体在上侵过程中与围岩发生反应,改造了CO2气储层,热流体在向上释放能量的过程中,造成上覆地层的拱起,形成圈闭,最终也可控制CO2气成藏。总结了热流体上侵成藏模式,同时也提出了热流体活动对CO2气藏形成的两点负面影响。     

Subsidence associated with the LUSI mud eruption,East Java,investigated by SAR interferometry

A mud volcano LUSI initiated its eruption on 29 May 2006, adjacent to a hydrocarbon exploration well in East Java. Ground subsidence in the vicinity of the LUSI eruptive vent was well recorded by a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) PALSAR onboard the Japanese ALOS satellite. We apply an Interferometric SAR (InSAR) technique on ten PALSAR data scenes, acquired between 19 May 2006 and 21 May 2007, in order to obtain continuous maps of ground displacements around LUSI. Although the displacements in the area closest to the eruptive vent (spatial extension of about 1.5 km) are not detectable because of the erupted mud, all the processed interferograms indicate subsidence in an ellipsoidal area of approximately 4 km (north–south) × 3 km (east–west), centered at the main eruptive vent. In particular, interferograms spanning the first four months until 4 Oct. 2006 and the subsequent 46 days between 4 Oct. 2006 and 19 Nov. 2006 show at least about 70 cm and 80 cm of displacements away from the satellite, respectively. Possible causes of the subsidence, i.e., 1) loading effect of the erupted mud, 2) creation of a cylindrical mud conduit, and 3) pressure decrease and depletion of materials at depth, are investigated. The effects of the first two causes are found to be insufficient to explain the total amount of subsidence observed in the first six months. The third possibility is quantitatively examined using a boundary element approach by modeling the source of deformation as a deflating oblate spheroid. The spheroid is estimated to lie at depths of a few hundred to a thousand meters. The estimated depths are significantly shallower than determined from analyses of erupted mud samples; the difference is explained by presence of significant amount of inelastic deformation including compaction and downward transfer of material.     

Salt structures in the Laizhouwan depression, offshore Bohai Bay basin, eastern China: New insights from 3D seismic data

Using the new high-quality 3D seismic data, this paper addresses the salt structures in the KL11 area of the Laizhouwan depression in the southern offshore Bohai Bay basin. In the study area, the salt in the Sha-4 Member of the Paleogene Shahejie Formation thickened, and then formed an S–N trending salt wall, which changes shape regularly along its trend from salt diapir to salt pillow. The change in thickness of the suprasalt layers record five growth phases of the salt wall from the Eocene to the Quaternary: (1) early diapirism, (2) active diapirism, (3) passive diapirism, (4) relative structural quiescence, and (5) arching. The evolution of the salt structures was mostly governed by the multi-phase compression induced by the dextral strike-slip of the Tan–Lu fault, which formed a restraining bend in the study area. There was an original passive stock in the south, which was later tectonically squeezed by E–W compression and became a diapir. As the shortening propagated to the north from the original stock, the salt pillow was created in the north. Relative structural quiescence then followed until the next phase of compression, which arched the thick roof of the salt wall.     

中国新疆北天山和台湾南部陆地泥火山研究进展

在系统介绍中国新疆北天山地区和台湾南部地区泥火山研究进展的基础上,对其地质特征进行了对比分析。结果显示,北天山和台湾南部地区的泥火山均沿着断裂带分布,主要位于背斜轴部,泥火山分布区地层多出露为含泥岩层。对两个地区泥火山喷出物物理特征进行了对比分析,固体喷发物的矿物成分相似,如石英、蒙脱石等;液体喷出物的泥浆温度与冒泡频率相近,但最大气泡直径与气体流量有很大差别。又分别对两地区液体、气体喷出物的化学特征进行了对比分析,液体喷出物均盐度高;甲烷是大多数泥火山喷发气体的主要成分,一些泥火山喷发的气体主要是二氧化碳。区域构造地质和气候条件不同,导致两地泥火山喷出物存在差异。从现有研究来看,两地泥火山的喷发都是岩层的孔隙压力增大造成的。两个地区泥火山与当地地震活动之间表现出良好的对应关系。泥火山的地球化学参数可能是地震活动的潜在指标。     

Role of the shale tectonics on the evolution of the Eastern Venezuelan Cenozoic thrust and fold belt

This paper presents a structural and stratigraphic analysis of the foreland-fold-belt of the Eastern Venezuelan Basin and the main conclusions about shale tectonic mechanisms in the area. The deformation of the foreland-fold-belt has been investigated analyzing the growth strata architecture preserved on the structure fold limbs. Three contractional episodes are proposed for the Eastern Venezuelan Basin: 1) Oligocene to middle Miocene, 2) late Miocene to Pliocene and 3) Pleistocene. The first episode produced contractional listric faults inside the shale and long displacement blind thrusts in the underlying Cretaceous units. The second episode produced the deformation of the Cenozoic strata into overlapping east-west-trending, convex northward anticlines that covers more than 200 kilometers in length and 40 kilometers wide, break-through normal faults product of a high sedimentary load that overcomes contraction and the formation of short-displacement blind thrusts in the underlying Cretaceous units. The last episode is related to an oblique compression and the formation of high angle extensional faults with dextral movement and NW-SE strike. The role of the shale tectonics in the evolution implies that shale deforms in two stages: 1) folding and 2) normal faulting of the crest of the anticline (Break through normal faulting). Folding controlled the sediment distribution during most of the Neogene strata, while the normal faulting of the anticlines represent basin potential for hydrocarbon. The best potential hydrocarbon plays in the basin are related to oblique-collision restricted basins and controlled by break-through normal faults and the presence of NW-SE strike faults that connect the HC source with the reservoirs. Results from this research imply that the role of sedimentation is fundamental for the overburden sand distribution and tectonic constrain of the folds.     

Hindered settling velocity of cohesive/non-cohesive sediment mixtures

New methods are proposed for predicting the hindered settling conditions encountered by concentrated suspensions containing mixtures of sand particles and mud flocs. These methods, based on two-fraction formulations, are developed by consideration of the settling characteristics of monodisperse and polydisperse solid particle suspensions applied to cohesive/non-cohesive mixtures of mud flocs and sand particles. The behaviour of these predictive methods is evaluated over a wide range of mixture conditions and compared with existing formulations, with their parametric dependence on the relative volumetric concentrations and floc/particle sizes for the mud and sand constituents established. The results indicate that consideration of the full return flow effects generated by both fractions provides the best modelling framework for predicting the hindered settling conditions over a wide range of sand–mud mixtures.     

Modelling eruption cycles and decay of mud volcanoes

Recent debates about the eruptive behavior of mud volcanoes and their activation mechanisms have been driven particularly by the LUSI eruption in Indonesia that resulted in huge commercial and cultural damages. Numerical modeling of mud volcanoes, of which few exist, can provide insight into eruptive behavior and contribute to hazard evaluation. In this paper, we present a simple model to describe fluid escape from an underground reservoir through a conduit, extruded as a mud volcano at the surface. The governing equations result in oscillatory behavior, and we study the influence of changes in rheological properties of surrounding rock and fluid characteristics of the mud on extrusion dynamics. We focus on understanding long-term eruption behavior, flow cycles, and decay factors. Model results can be used to estimate the discharge rates and extruded volume from assumptions on the mud reservoir and conduit, or conversely, the reservoir or conduit properties from discharge rates.