Asphalt Flows on Chapopote, a Knoll in the Campeche Bay, Southern Gulf of Mexico - new Results From ROV Investigations
Abstract
During the German expeditions SO174 in 2003 and M67 in 2006 swath mapping was carried out in the salt diapir province in the Campeche Bay. The seafloor morphology in the north of the area is dominated by elongated hills, called knolls. Asphalts have been discovered at two of the 400 m high knolls during video surveys, but more findings are likely. During M67 dives with the ROV QUEST were carried out at one of the knolls, named "Chapopote", in about 3000 m water depth. Chapopote has a caldera-like central depression with a rim that is depressed in the north and south. The distribution of asphalts is patchy, with a major field south-east of the central depression and several smaller areas some hundred meters apart from each other at the rim. Asphalts cover about 0.5 km2. The main field appears to be the most recent outflow of asphalt. The flow pattern of this asphalt is ropy with little signs for degradation. At the other fields the asphalts are degraded to blocks without visible flow structures and are covered with hemipelagic sediments. Based on detailed observations, we put an earlier model by Hovland et al., EOS, 86, 42, 2006, in question. This model proposes supercritical water transporting hydrocarbons leading to the expulsion of warm or hot asphalts at the seafloor. Alternatively, we favour the view that cold hydrocarbons flew out at several locations at Chapopote. In a subsequent alteration process, the hydrocarbons lose the more volatile components leading to the observed residue of asphalts on top of the sediments. We found evidence of seepage at Chapopote: outflow of gas bubbles, occurrence of gas hydrates and release of oil while sampling. At one site, we observed a package of individual flows stacked on top of each other. This structure suggests that the expelled hydrocarbons, can flow into the water as a viscous fluid, which is positive buoyant. During the alteration the flows get heavier and lay down at the sediments and partly keep on flowing, creating the ropy surface, forming the observed pattern.
- Publication:
-
AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- May 2007
- Bibcode:
- 2007AGUSMOS53B..06B
- Keywords:
-
- 3045 Seafloor morphology;
- geology;
- and geophysics;
- 3080 Submergence instruments: ROV;
- AUV;
- submersibles;
- 8414 Eruption mechanisms and flow emplacement;
- 8427 Subaqueous volcanism;
- 9350 North America