Tectonically induced methane seepage into a nearly anoxic water column at the Costa Rican continental margin (Quepos Slide)

The continental margin off Cost Rica is characterized by active cold venting induced by the subduction of the Cocos Plate underneath the Caribbean Plate. Submarine landslides, often triggered by the subduction of seamounts, have been shown to considerably contribute to the fluid discharge in the area. At the same time, the hydrographic conditions are characterized by very low oxygen conditions in the oxygen minimum zone centred around 400m, as a result of the reinforcement of the already low oxygen content in the Eastern Tropical Pacific by the local upwelling of the Costa Rica Dome. Here we report on the injection of methane-rich fluids into nearly oxygen-free waters at Quepos Slide. The slide resulted in the formation of a plateau at approximately 400 m water depth, with walls in the NW and NE. In the northern part of the slide, the seafloor is paved with bacterial mats along an elongated, weakly pronounced elevation oriented in NW-SE direction, dominated by filamentous Beggiatoa, often covering more than 80% of the seafloor for more than 200m. The colour of the bacterial assemblages shows strong zoning from white to yellow-orange, while grey assemblages were often associated with bathymetric elevations and smaller, circular- shaped patches. A remarkable characteristic in this unique settin is the almost complete lack of all other forms of vent-specific fauna. A quantitative description of the benthos fauna was achieved using quantitative video analysis based on ROV-based video mapping. The methane inventory in the water column within the embayment defined by the landslide was investigated with a grid of 17 hydrocast stations, verifying the highest methane emission in the northern corner of the slope, with concentrations more than two orders of magnitude above local background. Measurements of the stable carbon isotopic ratio on most of the methane samples were used to assess mixing and oxidation processes within this water body. Together with current meter data from ADCP deployments, these will be used to estimate the integrated methane flux from Quepos slide.