Initial results from a hydroacoustic network to monitor submarine lava flows near Mayotte Island

In 2019, a new underwater volcano was discovered at 3500 m below sea level (b.s.l.), 50 km east of Mayotte Island in the northern part of the Mozambique Channel. In January 2021, the submarine eruption was still going on and the volcanic activity, along with the intense seismicity that accompanies this crisis, was monitored by the recently created REVOSIMA (MAyotte VOlcano and Seismic Monitoring) network. In this framework, four hydrophones were moored in the SOFAR channel in October 2020. Surrounding the volcano, they monitor sounds generated by the volcanic activity and the lava flows. The first year of hydroacoustic data evidenced many earthquakes, underwater landslides, large marine mammal calls, along with anthropogenic noise. Of particular interest are impulsive signals that we relate to steam bursts during lava flow emplacement. A preliminary analysis of these impulsive signals (ten days in a year, and only one day in full detail) reveals that lava emplacement was active when our monitoring started, but faded out during the first year of the experiment. A systematic and robust detection of these specific signals would hence contribute to monitor active submarine eruptions in the absence of seafloor deep-tow imaging or swath-bathymetry surveys of the active area

The International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean Version 2 (IBCSO v2)

The Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica is a region that is key to a range of climatic and oceanographic processes with worldwide effects, and is characterised by high biological productivity and biodiversity. Since 2013, the International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean (IBCSO) has represented the most comprehensive compilation of bathymetry for the Southern Ocean south of 60°S. Recently, the IBCSO Project has combined its efforts with the Nippon Foundation – GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project supporting the goal of mapping the world’s oceans by 2030. New datasets initiated a second version of IBCSO (IBCSO v2). This version extends to 50°S (covering approximately 2.4 times the area of seafloor of the previous version) including the gateways of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the Antarctic circumpolar frontal systems. Due to increased (multibeam) data coverage, IBCSO v2 significantly improves the overall representation of the Southern Ocean seafloor and resolves many submarine landforms in more detail. This makes IBCSO v2 the most authoritative seafloor map of the area south of 50°S

I-4. Quels potentiels supplémentaires apporterait une extension du plateau continental juridique ?

1. La ZEE française – Potentiel de l’outre-mer 1.1 Introduction Avec onze millions de kilomètres carrés de Zone Economique Exclusive, la France dispose du deuxième espace maritime mondial, après celui des États-Unis. Cet immense espace maritime, réparti dans tous les océans dote la France d’un potentiel d’une grande richesse en matière du potentiel de ressources dont l'inventaire reste, pour l'essentiel, à réaliser. Ce potentiel porte principalement sur les ressources minérales et la biodiver..

Mass Movements in a Transform Margin Setting: The Example of the Eastern Demerara Rise

5th International SymposiumInternational audienceThe eastern Demerara Rise located offshore French Guiana was surveyed in 2003 (GUYAPLAC cruise, part of the French EXTRAPLAC program) using multibeam bathymetry and imagery, 6-channel seismic data and 3-5 kHz echosounding. Analysis of seismic data shows that the flank of the Demerara Rise endures repetitive sliding of its Paleogene to Neogene sedimentary cover towards the ocean. Fluid escapes seem to be closely associated with the activity of those slides and deep faults seems to impact the location of the main headscarp. We suspect fluid overpressures and the specific architecture of transform boundaries ("free border") to be key parameters in the development of wide MTD's retrogressively eroding the eastern Demerara Rise

Young Marquesas volcanism finally located

International audienceThe Marquesas Island chain in Polynesia is quite unusual because the alignment of the islands on the Pacific oceanic plate (N40°W) does not follow the plate motion in the region (N65°W). The exact location of the active hotspot is unknown but has been predicted to underlie the Marquesas Fracture Zone Ridge. Nevertheless, no concrete evidence exists. Here, we document the occurrence on this ridge of fresh tephrites dated at ~ 92 ka by the 40Ar39Ar method. The lavas dredged on a small seamount have trace element contents and Sr, Nd, Pb isotopic compositions typical of the southwest Marquesas Islands, the Fatu Hiva group. This discovery demonstrates that the Marquesas plume is still active and it puts new constraints on its present location. It also supports McNutt et al.’s (1989) interpretation of the Marquesas Fracture Zone Ridge as a very young volcanic construction underlain by a hotspot. We suggest that the present location of the Marquesas plume is under the ridge, at its intersection with the isotopic divide known along the Marquesas chain. We attribute the presence of young volcanic products 190 km southwest of this location to preferential magma flow along the Marquesas Fracture lithospheric weakness zone. We also suggest that the puzzling general direction of the archipelago is the consequence of a persistent low magma flux over the past 5 Ma that could only find its way to the surface through multiple weak zones in the Pacific plate

Pockmarks on the South Aquitaine Margin continental slope: the seabed expression of past fluid circulation and bottom currents

International audienceInactive and mostly elongated pockmarks of 100-200 m in dimension were recently discovered on the South Aquitaine Margin continental slope. They are distributed at water depths greater than 350 m in both interfluve and sediment wave areas, and are strongly controlled by the sedimentary morphology and architecture. Water column and seafloor backscatter and sub-bottom profiler data do not exhibit present-day or past gas evidence, e. g. massive and continuous gas releases at the seabed and fossil methane-derived authigenic carbonates. It is thus proposed that the pockmarks originated from a shallow source and result from relatively recent and short-duration gas or water expulsion events. Former near-bottom currents may have contributed to the elongation of these WNW-ESE oriented pockmarks whereas present-day weaker near-bottom currents may induce upwelling, contributing to the maintenance of the elongated shapes of the pockmarks

Premiers résultats d’un réseau hydroacoustique pour surveiller es coulées de lave sous-marines près de l’île de Mayotte

International audienceIn 2019, a new underwater volcano was discovered at 3500 m below sea level (b.s.l.), 50 km east of Mayotte Island in the northern part of the Mozambique Channel. In January 2021, the subma- rine eruption was still going on and the volcanic activity, along with the intense seismicity that accom- panies this crisis, was monitored by the recently created REVOSIMA (MAyotte VOlcano and Seismic Monitoring) network. In this framework, four hydrophones were moored in the SOFAR channel in Oc- tober 2020. Surrounding the volcano, they monitor sounds generated by the volcanic activity and the lava flows. The first year of hydroacoustic data evidenced many earthquakes, underwater landslides, large marine mammal calls, along with anthropogenic noise. Of particular interest are impulsive signals that we relate to steam bursts during lava flow emplacement. A preliminary analysis of these impulsive signals (ten days in a year, and only one day in full detail) reveals that lava emplacement was active when our monitoring started, but faded out during the first year of the experiment. A system- atic and robust detection of these specific signals would hence contribute to monitor active submarine eruptions in the absence of seafloor deep-tow imaging or swath-bathymetry surveys of the active area.En 2019, un nouveau volcan sous-marin a été découvert par 3500 m de profondeur, à 50 km à l’est de l’île de Mayotte dans la partie Nord du Canal du Mozambique. Le RÉseau de surveillance VOlcanologique et SIsmologique de MAyotte (REVOSIMA) a été mis en place pour surveiller l’activité sous-marine de ce nouveau volcan ainsi que l’intense crise sismique qui a débuté en Mai 2018 et qui est toujours en cours. Dans ce cadre, quatre mouillages équipés d’hydrophones ont été déployés en octobre 2020 autour du volcan, à la profondeur du canal SOFAR. L’objectif est, entre autres, d’enre- gistrer les sons générés par l’activité volcanique sous-marine, notamment par l’éruption de coulées de lave. Plusieurs sources d’ondes hydroacoustiques ont été identifiées pendant la première année d’écoute : séismes, glissements de terrain sous-marins, cris de mammifères marins de différentes es- pèces et bruit anthropogénique. Parmi ces sons, des signaux impulsionnels ont retenu notre attention. Nous les associons à des formations de vapeur liées à l’épanchement de coulées volcaniques. L’analyse préliminaire de ces signaux (10 jours répartis sur la première année, dont 24 h dépouillées finement) révèle que la forte activité éruptive observée à 10 km au NW du nouveau volcan au début de la surveillance hydroacoustique a fortement diminué pendant la première année d’enregistrement. Une détection systématique robuste de ces signaux offrirait la possibilité de dater et localiser l’activité éruptive, en l’absence de levés bathymétriques et d’imagerie répétée de la zone active