Gas hydrates and active mud volcanism on the South Shetland continental margin, Antarctic Peninsula |
| |
Authors: | U Tinivella F Accaino B Della Vedova |
| |
Institution: | (1) Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale-OGS, Borgo Grotta Gigante 42C, 34010 Trieste, Italy;(2) Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Ambientale, University of Trieste, via A. Valerio, 34100 Trieste, Italy |
| |
Abstract: | During the Antarctic summer of 2003–2004, new geophysical data were acquired from aboard the R/V OGS Explora in the BSR-rich area discovered in 1996–1997 along the South Shetland continental margin off the Antarctic Peninsula. The
objective of the research program, supported by the Italian National Antarctic Program (PNRA), was to verify the existence
of a potential gas hydrate reservoir and to reconstruct the tectonic setting of the margin, which probably controls the extent
and character of the diffused and discontinuous bottom simulating reflections. The new dataset, i.e. multibeam bathymetry,
seismic profiles (airgun and chirp), and two gravity cores analysed by computer-aided tomography as well as for gas composition
and content, clearly shows active mud volcanism sustained by hydrocarbon venting in the region: several vents, located mainly
close to mud volcanoes, were imaged during the cruise and their occurrence identified in the sediment samples. Mud volcanoes,
vents and recent slides border the gas hydrate reservoir discovered in 1996–1997. The cores are composed of stiff silty mud.
In core GC01, collected in the proximity of a mud volcano ridge, the following gases were identified (maximum contents in
brackets): methane (46 μg/kg), pentane (45), ethane (35), propane (34), hexane (29) and butane (28). In core GC02, collected
on the flank of the Vualt mud volcano, the corresponding data are methane (0 μg/kg), pentane (45), ethane (22), propane (0),
hexane (27) and butane (25). |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|