Evidence for intense REE scavenging at cold seeps from the Niger Delta margin

International audienceFor many trace elements, continental margins are the location of intense exchange processes between sediment and seawater, which control their distribution in the water column, but have yet to be fully understood. In this study, we have investigated the impact of fluid seepage at cold seeps on the marine cycle of neodymium. We determined dissolved and total dissolvable (TD) concentrations for REE and well-established tracers of fluid seepage (CH4, TDFe, TDMn), and Nd isotopic compositions in seawater samples collected above cold seeps and a reference site (i.e. away from any fluid venting area) from the Niger Delta margin. We also analyzed cold seep authigenic phases and various core-top sediment fractions (pore water, detrital component, easily leachable phases, uncleaned foraminifera) recovered near the hydrocast stations. Methane, TDFe and TDMn concentrations clearly indicate active fluid venting at the studied seeps, with plumes rising up to about 100 m above the seafloor. Depth profiles show pronounced REE enrichments in the non-filtered samples (TD concentrations) within plumes, whereas filtered samples (dissolved concentrations) exhibit slight REE depletion in plumes relative to the overlying water column and display typical seawater REE patterns. These results suggest that the net flux of REE emitted into seawater at cold seeps is controlled by the presence of particulate phases, most probably Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides associated to resuspended sediments. At the reference site, however, our data reveal significant enrichment for dissolved REE in bottom waters, that clearly relates to diffusive benthic fluxes from surface sediments. Neodymium isotopic ratios measured in the water column range from εNd ~−15.7 to − 10.4. Evidence that the εNd values for Antarctic Intermediate waters (AAIW) differed from those reported for the same water mass at open ocean settings shows that sediment/water interactions take place in the Gulf of Guinea. At each site, however, the bottom water εNd signature generally differs from that for cold seep minerals, easily leachable sediment phases, and detrital fractions from local sediments, ruling out the possibility that seepage of methane-rich fluids and sediment dissolution act as a substantial source of dissolved Nd to seawater in the Gulf of Guinea. Taken together, our data hence suggest that co-precipitation of Fe-Mn oxyhydroxide phases in sub-surface sediments leads to quantitative scavenging of dissolved REE at cold seeps, preventing their emission into bottom waters. Most probably, it is likely that diffusion from suboxic surface sediments dominates the exchange processes affecting the marine Nd cycle at the Niger Delta margin

Helium isotopic composition of hydrothermal fluids from the Manus back-arc Basin, Papua New Guinea

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Evidence of methane venting and geochemistry of brines on mud volcanoes of the eastern Mediterranean Sea

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Evidence of methane venting and geochemistry of brines on mud volcanoes of the eastern Mediterranean

As a part of the Dutch-French MEDINAUT diving expedition in 1998, cold seeps and mud volcanoes were studied and sampled in two distinctive tectonic settings in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The first setting was the Olimpi Mud Volcano field (OMV area), including Napoli, Milano, Maidstone and Moscow mud volcanoes, south of Crete on the Mediterranean ridge. The second setting was the Anaximander Mountains (AM area), southwestern Turkey, where Amsterdam, Kazan and Kula mud volcanoes were explored. Large methane concentrations (45-892 nmol/kg) were measured in the water column not only above mud volcanoes but also in seeps and vents along related fault systems, indicating intense degassing related to fluid circulation in sediments. The tracer results show that there is considerable variability in terms of gas seepage and matter flux between these mud volcanoes. Brine accumulations found as shallow pools on Napoli or associated with deep faults (Nadir Lake) outside mud volcanoes exhibit variable chlorinity, mineral and gas composition. The brines are significantly enriched in

Organic, gas, and element geochemistry of hydrothermal fluids of the newly discovered extensive hydrothermal area in the Wallis and Futuna Region (SW Pacific)

International audienceTwo newly discovered hydrothermal vent fields of the Wallis and Futuna region, Kulo Lasi and Fatu Kapa, were sampled for fluid geochemistry. A great geochemical diversity was observed and assigned to the diversity of lithologies as well as the occurrence of various processes. Kulo Lasi fluids likely formed by interaction with fresh volcanic rocks, phase separation, and mixing with magmatic fluid. Conversely, the geochemistry of the Fatu Kapa fluids would be mostly due to water/felsic lavas reactions. In terms of organic geochemistry, fluids from both fields were found to be enriched in formate, acetate, and semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs): n-alkanes, n-fatty acids, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Concentrations of SVOCs reached a few ppb at most. The distribution patterns of SVOCs indicated that several processes and sources, at once of biogenic, thermogenic, and abiogenic types, likely controlled organic geochemistry. Although the contribution of each process remains unknown, the mere presence of organics at the μM level has strong implications for metal dispersion (cycles), deposition (ore-forming), and bioavailability (ecosystems), especially as our fluxes estimations suggest that back-arc hosted vent fields could contribute as much as MOR to the global ocean heat and mass budget

Compared geochemical signatures and the evolution of Menez Gwen (37°50′N) and Lucky Strike (37°17′N) hydrothermal fluids, south of the Azores Triple Junction on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

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