High‐resolution seismic profiles acquired in the eastern sector of Lago Fagnano, the southernmost ice‐free lake in the world, have shown the presence of very shallow gas‐bearing layers in the upper sedimentary sequences. The gas‐related features observed on seismic profiles include a typical, very strong reflection with reversed polarity, multiple reflections and acoustic blanking that hide subsurface sedimentary and structural features. The top of the acoustically high‐amplitude layer is located between 0.3–1.7 m below the lake floor. It generally forms a sharp boundary, often marked by a varying offset probably due to different levels of gas penetration, which could be related to the lithology of the overlying sediments. To confirm the presence of gas, some gravity cores were recovered in places where the blanking effect was most relevant and in the supposed gas‐free zone. Sediment core analyses have highlighted the occurrence of significant organic‐rich components within the uppermost, largely unconsolidated sedimentary layers, in correspondence of the seismically‐detected gassy zone, whereas only a few organic layers were found in the gas‐free zone. We assume that the main origin of gas is linked to the presence of a shallow, thin peat‐rich layer of Middle‐Late Holocene age. In fact, the mapped gassy zone occurs in correspondence of the outlet of the Rio Turbio, the principal tributary of Lago Fagnano, which discharges waters coming from a relatively small sag pond located immediately to the east of the eastern shore of the lake. To date, this is the first evidence of shallow gas in Tierra del Fuego lakes.

ABSTRACT. Lago Fagnano, an E-W elongated basin located in the central part of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, occupies a structural depression originated along a segment of the Magallanes-Fagnano fault system. Its evolution was mostly conditioned by tectonic processes, and later was affected by glacial and glacio-lacustrine depositional events. New high-resolution single-channel seismic data, integrated with previous seismic profiles, and geological information acquired in the surroundings of the Lago Fagnano, allows us reconstructing the basement surface of the lake, and the geometry, distribution, and thickness of the glacial and glacio-lacustrine sequences. We recognized three main sub-basins within the Lago Fagnano: 1. a medium-size (ca. 21x5 km), deep (373 m), and asymmetric basin to the east; 2. an E-W trending (44x3 km), shallower (150 m) central sub-basin; and 3. a smaller (3.5x1.3 km), shallow (128 m) sub-basin to the west. The isopach sediment map shows that the most pronounced deposition occurred along the E-W axis of the lake, with a gradual increase in thickness towards east (from 100 to 150 m). The glacial deposits are widespread along the basin. The lacustrine sediments are preferentially localized along the E-W axis of the lake filling topographic lows. The shape of the sub-basins and their location in relation with the Magallanes-Fagnano fault system, along with the distribution, geometry, and thickness of the sedimentary units, show that the general morphology of the Lago Fagnano was mostly controlled by pre-existing and syntectonic features. Based on the structural data observed in the outcrops around the Lago Fagnano and the geophysical data, we proposed that the lake is composed by 4 amalgamated pull-apart sub-basins. RESUMEN. Geometría del basamento y espesores sedimentarios del lago Fagnano (Tierra del Fuego). El lagoFagnano, una cuenca elongada E-W en la parte central de la isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, ocupa una depresión estructural originada a lo largo de un segmento del sistema de fallas Magallanes-Fagnano. Su evolución estuvo principalmente condicionada por procesos tectónicos y, luego, fue afectada por eventos deposicionales glaciales y glaciolacustres. Nueva sísmica monocanal de alta resolución, integrada con perfiles sísmicos previos e información geológica adquirida en los alrededores del lago Fagnano, nos permite reconstruir la superficie del basamento del lago, y las geometrías y espesores de las secuencias glaciales y glaciolacustres. Reconocimos tres subcuencas principales dentro del Lago Fagnano: 1. una subcuenca asimétrica profunda (373 m) de tamaño medio (ca. 21x5 km) en el este; 2. una gran subcuenca central (44x3 km) más somera (150 m); y 3. una pequeña subcuenca occidental (3,5x1,3 km) somera (128 m). El mapa isopáquico muestra que los mayores depósitos se localizan a lo largo del eje E-W del lago, con un incremento gradual del espesor hacia el este (de 100 a 150 m). Los depósitos glaciales están ampliamente distribuidos a lo largo de la cuenca. Los sedimentos lacu...