Structure of mud volcano systems and pockmarks in the region of the Ceuta Contourite Depositional System (Western Alborán Sea)

Somoza, Luı́s; Medialdea, Teresa; León, Ricardo; Ercilla, Gemma; Vázquez, Juan Tomás; Farran, Marcel-lí; Hernández-Molina, Javier; González, Francisco Javier; Juan, Carmen; Fernández-Puga, M.C.

doi:10.1016/j.margeo.2012.06.002

Cited by 81 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 78 publications

(139 reference statements)

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“…Pockmarks are common features at many continental margins in the Mediterranean basin (Stefanon, 1981;Stefanon et al, 1983;Curzi and Veggiani, 1985;Mazzotti et al, 1987;Hovland and Curzi, 1989;Trincardi et al, 2004;Geletti et al, 2008;Coleman et al, 2012;Curzi, 2012;Somoza et al, 2012). They have been recently documented also in various locations of the Strait of Sicily, although most published studies regard relatively shallow-water (ca.…”

Section: The Pockmark Field Of Gelamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Gela Basin pockmark field in the strait of Sicily (Mediterranean Sea): chemosymbiotic faunal and carbonate signatures of postglacial to modern cold seepage

et al. 2013

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The geo-biological exploration of a pockmark field located at ca. 800 m below sea level in the Gela basin (Strait of Sicily, Central Mediterranean) provided a relatively diverse chemosymbiotic community and methane-imprinted carbonates. To date, this is the first occurrence of such a type of specialised deep-water cold-seep communities recorded from this key region, before documented in the Mediterranean as rather disjunct findings in its eastern and westernmost basins. The thiotrophic chemosymbiotic organisms recovered from this area include empty tubes of the vestimentiferan Lamellibrachia sp., loose and articulated shells of lucinids (Lucinoma kazani, Myrtea amorpha), vesicomyids (Isorropodon perplexum), and gastropods (Taranis moerchii). A callianassid decapod (Calliax sp.) was consistently found alive in large numbers in the pockmark mud. Their post-mortem calcified parts mixed with molluscs and subordinately miliolid foraminifers form a distinct type of skeletal assemblage. Carbonate concretions display δ¹³C values as low as −40‰ PDB suggesting the occurrence of light hydrocarbons in the seeping fluids. Since none of the truly chemosymbiotic organisms was found alive, although their skeletal parts appear at times very fresh, some specimens have been AMS-¹⁴C dated to shed light on the historical evolution of this site. Lamellibrachiav and Lucinoma are two of the most significant chemosymbiotic taxa reported from various Mediterranean cold seep sites (Alboran Sea and Eastern basin). Specimens from station MEDCOR78 (pockmark #1, Lat. 36°46´10.18" N, Long. 14°01´31.59" E, 815 m below sea level) provided ages of 11736 ± 636 yr cal BP (Lamellibrachia sp.), and 9609.5 ± 153.5 yr cal BP (L. kazani). One shell of M. amorpha in core MEDCOR81 (pockmark #6, Lat 36°45´38.89" N, Long 14°00´07.58" E, 822 m below sea level) provided a sub-modern age of 484 ± 54 yr cal BP. These ages document that fluid seepage at this pockmark site has been episodically sustaining thiotrophic macrobenthic communities since the end of the Younger Dryas stadial up to sub-recent times

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Section: The Pockmark Field Of Gelamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Gela Basin pockmark field in the strait of Sicily (Mediterranean Sea): chemosymbiotic faunal and carbonate signatures of postglacial to modern cold seepage

et al. 2013

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“…The micropaleontological study of mud breccias give direct, important information on the source layer, in particular in the case of deep-rooted mud volcanoes where the actual depth of the feeder channel is often difficult to detect in seismic lines, as is the case of some of the Alboran MVs (e.g., Carmen MV, Somoza et al, 2012). Furthermore, it allows identifying and differentiating elements from the two "sources" involved in mud-breccia extrusion: the source layer sensu stricto, and the overlying sedimentary sequence.…”

Section: Source Of Extruded Mud-brecciasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous works on the Mud Diapiric Province focused on the MV structures and their relationship with shale diapirs Talukder et al, 2003;Somoza et al, 2012), as well as on the identification of the source layer . Recently, the study of fluid discharged at different seep sites in the area proved that Carmen MV is presently active (Blinova et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sedimentary sources of the mud-breccia and mud volcanic activity in the Western Alboran Basin

et al. 2013

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During the TTR-17 Leg 1 cruise in the West Alboran Basin, gravity cores were acquired from three mud volcanoes (MVs): Dhaka, Carmen and the recently discovered Maya. This paper presents micropaleontological and radiocarbon dating results from the three mud volcanoes, using cores containing mud breccias overlain by and interbedded with hemipelagic sediments. At Dhaka MV, the mud-breccia matrix contains very rare Holocene planktonic foraminifera associated with abundant reworked specimens of mixed Late Cretaceous to Mio-Pliocene age. At Carmen MV, the reworked assemblage is dominated by Miocene to Pliocene foraminifera occurring together with rare Late Cretaceous species while at Maya MV the mud-breccia matrix is characterized by the dominance of Santonian-Maastrichtian forms, with subordinate Tertiary species. Shallow-water benthic foraminifera such as Ammonia spp. and Elphidium spp. are generally rare and randomly distributed, but present at all studied sites. Based on these results, we suggest that the main sediment source of the mud-breccia extruded at Dhaka, Carmen and Maya MVs is possibly the lowermost overpressured olistostromic Unit VI (Aquitanian?-Burdigalian). Differences in the micropaleontological composition of the mud-breccia matrix at different sites are most likely due to differences in the main source layer and in the plumbing systems underneath the MVs. Radiocarbon dating of hemipelagic sediments associated to the mud-breccia allowed to define the age of the latest extrusion activities (>0.27 ka to > 15.6 ka BP), which seem to be episodic, short-lived and recurrent over thousands of years.

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“…The Alboran Sea contains a wide variety of ecologically interesting seafloor structures, such as submarine canyons of varying size (Baro et al 2012), carbonate mounds (Lo Iacono et al 2008, Pardo et al 2011, submarine structures caused by fluid emissions such as pockmarks and mud volcanoes (Somoza et al 2012, Gennari et al 2013, and seamounts and banks of different heights and geologic origins (Palomino et al 2011). The diverse seafloor morphology and the location and peculiar hydrodynamic features of the Alboran Sea, with the mixing of Atlantic and Mediterranean waters, promote a wide diversity of habitats and associated biota that have been little studied in specific bathyal areas, especially at a microfaunal level (Salas 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mollusca from a species-rich deep-water <em>Leptometra</em> community in the Alboran Sea

Gofas¹,

Salas²,

Rueda³

et al. 2014

Sci. Mar.

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Summary: An exceptional species richness for Mollusca was found on Avempace bank (349-365 m), Djibouti group, Alboran Sea, where the most abundant species was the crinoid Leptometra phalangium. A sample of sediment sieved on a 0.5-mm mesh yielded 156 species of molluscs (83 live-taken, 1772 specimens) with a high Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H' (log2) =3.60). The dominant mollusc was Limopsis aurita and the six most common species accounted for 77% of the specimens. On the other hand, 42 species were represented by only one or two specimens. Two species are described as new, three more are first findings in the Mediterranean and two are first findings in Iberian waters. One-third of the species have not been reported from the neighbouring, well-explored Alboran Island platform. There is a considerable balance between the trophic groups, denoting a stable and structured community. Most of the species have an extensive Atlantic range, and most have a planktonic larval stage. Therefore, it can be hypothesized that the fauna benefits from a diverse influx of larvae carried in by the more superficial incoming Atlantic current. Because of its exceptional richness, this type of bathyal community with Leptometra and Limopsis should be considered a high priority for habitat conservation in the Mediterranean deep sea.Keywords: species diversity; taxonomy; dominant species; trophic structure; geographical distribution; bathyal zone; Leptometra phalangium; marine molluscs. Moluscos de una comunidad profunda de Leptometra rica en especies en el mar de AlboránResumen: Se encontró una excepcional riqueza específica de moluscos en el banco Avempace (349-365 m), grupo de Djibouti, mar de Alborán, donde la especie más abundante fue el crinoideo Leptometra phalangium. En una muestra de sedimento tamizada sobre una malla de 0.5 mm se hallaron 156 especies de moluscos (83 con ejemplares vivos) y 1772 ejemplares, con un alto valor del índice de diversidad Shannon-Wiener (H' (log2) =3.60). El molusco dominante era Limopsis aurita y las seis especies más comunes eran el 77% de los ejemplares. Por otro lado, 42 especies estuvieron representadas únicamente por uno o dos ejemplares. Dos especies se describen como nuevas; tres más son primera cita para el Mediterráneo y dos son primera cita en aguas ibéricas. Un tercio de las especies no están citadas en la plataforma de la vecina isla de Alborán, por su parte bastante estudiada. La representación de los distintos grupos tróficos es equilibrada, denotando una comunidad estable y estructurada. La mayoría de las especies tienen una amplia distribución en el Atlántico y una fase larvaria planctónica. Por lo tanto se supone que la fauna se beneficia de un aporte diverso de larvas por la corriente superficial que entra desde el Atlántico. Por su excepcional riqueza, este tipo de comunidad batial con Leptometra y Limopsis merece considerarse prioritaria para la conservación de hábitats profundos del mar Mediterráneo.Palabras clave: diversidad especifica; taxonomía; especies dominantes; estruc...

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Structure of mud volcano systems and pockmarks in the region of the Ceuta Contourite Depositional System (Western Alborán Sea)

Cited by 81 publications

References 78 publications

The Gela Basin pockmark field in the strait of Sicily (Mediterranean Sea): chemosymbiotic faunal and carbonate signatures of postglacial to modern cold seepage

The Gela Basin pockmark field in the strait of Sicily (Mediterranean Sea): chemosymbiotic faunal and carbonate signatures of postglacial to modern cold seepage

Sedimentary sources of the mud-breccia and mud volcanic activity in the Western Alboran Basin

Mollusca from a species-rich deep-water <em>Leptometra</em> community in the Alboran Sea

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