Rare-earth element geochemistry reveals the provenance of sediments on the southwestern margin of the Challenger Deep

The hadal zone represents one of the last great frontiers in modern marine science,and deciphering the provenance of sediment that is supplied to these trench settings remains a largely unanswered question.Here,we examine the mineralogical and geochemical composition of a sediment core(core CD-1)that was recovered from the southwestern margin of the Challenger Deep within the Mariana Trench.Major element abundances and rare-earth element patterns from these sediments require inputs from both terrigenous dust and locally sourced volcanic debris.We exploit a two-endmember mixing model to demonstrate that locally sourced volcanic material dominates the sediment supply to the Challenger Deep(averaging^72%).The remainder,however,is supplied by aeolian dust(averaging^28%),which is consistent with adjacent studies that utilized Sr-Nd isotopic data.Building on a growing database,we strengthen our understanding of Asian aeolian dust input into the northwestern Pacific,which ultimately improves our appreciation of sedimentation in,and around,the hadal zone.     

Progress in Global Gas Hydrate Development and Production as a New Energy Resource

Natural gas hydrates have been hailed as a new and promising unconventional alternative energy, especially as fossil fuels approach depletion, energy consumption soars, and fossil fuel prices rise, owing to their extensive distribution, abundance, and high fuel efficiency. Gas hydrate reservoirs are similar to a storage cupboard in the global carbon cycle, containing most of the world’s methane and accounting for a third of Earth’s mobile organic carbon. We investigated gas hydrate stability zone burial depths from the viewpoint of conditions associated with stable existence of gas hydrates, such as temperature, pressure, and heat flow, based on related data collected by the global drilling programs. Hydrate-related areas are estimated using various biological, geochemical and geophysical tools. Based on a series of previous investigations, we cover the history and status of gas hydrate exploration in the USA, Japan, South Korea, India, Germany, the polar areas, and China. Then, we review the current techniques for hydrate exploration in a global scale. Additionally, we briefly review existing techniques for recovering methane from gas hydrates, including thermal stimulation, depressurization, chemical injection, and CH4–CO2 exchange, as well as corresponding global field trials in Russia, Japan, United States, Canada and China. In particular, unlike diagenetic gas hydrates in coarse sandy sediments in Japan and gravel sediments in the United States and Canada, most gas hydrates in the northern South China Sea are non-diagenetic and exist in fine-grained sediments with a vein-like morphology. Therefore, especially in terms of the offshore production test in gas hydrate reservoirs in the Shenhu area in the north slope of the South China Sea, Chinese scientists have proposed two unprecedented techniques that have been verified during the field trials: solid fluidization and formation fluid extraction. Herein, we introduce the two production techniques, as well as the so-called “four-in-one” environmental monitoring system employed during the Shenhu production test. Methane is not currently commercially produced from gas hydrates anywhere in the world; therefore, the objective of field trials is to prove whether existing techniques could be applied as feasible and economic production methods for gas hydrates in deep-water sediments and permafrost zones. Before achieving commercial methane recovery from gas hydrates, it should be necessary to measure the geologic properties of gas hydrate reservoirs to optimize and improve existing production techniques. Herein, we propose horizontal wells, multilateral wells, and cluster wells improved by the vertical and individual wells applied during existing field trials. It is noteworthy that relatively pure gas hydrates occur in seafloor mounds, within near-surface sediments, and in gas migration conduits. Their extensive distribution, high saturation, and easy access mean that these types of gas hydrate may attract considerable attention from academia and industry in the future. Herein, we also review the occurrence and development of concentrated shallow hydrate accumulations and briefly introduce exploration and production techniques. In the closing section, we discuss future research needs, key issues, and major challenges related to gas hydrate exploration and production. We believe this review article provides insight on past, present, and future gas hydrate exploration and production to provide guidelines and stimulate new work into the field of gas hydrates.     

Contribution of Mountain River Materials to the Continental Shelf off Southeastern Hainan Island Since the Mid-Holocene

The concentrations of rare earth elements(REEs) in the bulk sediment of Core X2, which was collected from southeastern Hainan Island, were analyzed to investigate the relative contributions of various provenance regions since mid-Holocene. The results show that sediments in Core X2 were primarily derived from Hainan Island with lesser amounts from Taiwan and limited input from the Pearl River. Based on the application of quantitative inversion to model the REE data, the average contributions of river materials from southeastern Hainan Island and southwestern Taiwan to the study area were 68% and 32%, respectively. Furthermore, starting at 4.0 kyr BP, the transport of fluvial sediments from Taiwan to the study region increased due to enhanced hydrodynamics in South China Sea(SCS). These results indicate that the contributions of mountain river materials from Hainan Island and Taiwan to the continental shelf of northern SCS are non-negligible. Furthermore, these results demonstrate that mountain rivers can play an important role in the material cycle of continental margins and may feature a greater impact than large river systems in specific continental shelf areas.     

Rare-earth element geochemistry reveals the provenance of sediments on the southwestern margin of the Challenger Deep

The hadal zone represents one of the last great frontiers in modern marine science, and deciphering the provenance of sediment that is supplied to these trench settings remains a largely unanswered question. Here, we examine the mineralogical and geochemical composition of a sediment core(core CD-1) that was recovered from the southwestern margin of the Challenger Deep within the Mariana Trench. Major element abundances and rare-earth element patterns from these sediments require inputs from both terrigenous dust and locally sourced volcanic debris. We exploit a two-endmember mixing model to demonstrate that locally sourced volcanic material dominates the sediment supply to the Challenger Deep(averaging ～72%). The remainder, however, is supplied by aeolian dust(averaging ～28%), which is consistent with adjacent studies that utilized Sr-Nd isotopic data. Building on a growing database, we strengthen our understanding of Asian aeolian dust input into the northwestern Pacific, which ultimately improves our appreciation of sedimentation in, and around, the hadal zone.