Gas seepage on the sea floor of Okinawa Trough Miyako Section

A marine geophysical survey was carried out, on the RN Science 1 of the Institute of Oceanography, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS), in 2000, at the Miyako Section of Okinawa Trough. Here we present seismic and acoustic evidence of a gas seep on the sea floor on the western part of the Okinawa Through, near the lower slope of the East China Sea Slope and discuss the possibility of related formation of gas hydrate. A gas column reflection was observed in echo-sounder data above a section where the sea floor reflector was missing, on both the echo-sounder and the seismic data for line H14. The seismic data also show an acoustic curtain reflection and a turbidity reflection at this section. These anomalies are the evidence of the existence of a gas seep, which occupies an area 2.2 km in diameter. Based on the acoustic curtain on line H14, we believe that the amount of gas contained in the sediments below the gas seep is larger than 1 % by volume of sediment. Tectonically, the gas seep developed in a small basin controlled by basement uplift in the north, south and east. The thickness of the sediment layer can be greater than 3.5 km. A mud diapir structure was found in layer D beneath the gas seep. Over-pressure may occur due to the large sediment thickness and also the tectonic basement uplift in the north, south, and east. The mud diapir could be the preferential pathway for methane-rich fluids. The acoustic curtain may indicate that free gas related to the gas seep can be formed on the sea floor. We also note that the layer above the acoustic curtain on profile H14 may contain gas hydrate.

Tectonic geomorphology of the Ryukyu Trench-Arc-Backarc System: geological-geophysical exploration and mapping

OKINAWA TROUGH; BASIN

南海张裂大陆边缘数值模拟研究

The South China Sea (SCS) is one of the largest marginal seas in the western Pacific, which is located at the junction of Eurasian plate, Pacific plate and Indian-Australian plate. It was formed by continent breakup and sea-floor spreading in Cenozoic. The complicated interaction among the three major plates made tectonic movement complex and geological phenomena very rich in this area. The SCS is an ideal place to study the formation and evolution of rifted continental margin and sea-floor spreading since it is old enough to have experienced the major stages of the basin evolution but still young enough to have preserved its original nature. As the demand for energy grows day by day in our country, the deep water region of the northern continental margin in the SCS has become a focus of oil and gas exploration because of its huge hydrocarbon potential. Therefore, to study the rifted continental margin of the SCS not only can improve our understanding of the formation and evolution processes of rifted continental margin, but also can provide theoretical support for hydrocarbon exploration in rifted continental margin. This dissertation mainly includes five topics as follows: (1) Various classic lithosphere stretching models are reviewed, and the continuous non-uniform stretching model is modified to make it suitable for the case where the extension of lithopheric mantle exceeds that of the crust. Then simple/pure shear flexural cantilever model is applied to model the basement geometries of SO49-18 profile in the northern continental margin of the SCS. By fitting the basements obtained by using 2DMove software with modeling results, it is found that the reasonable effective elastic thickness is less than 5km in this region. According to this result, it is assumed that there is weak lower crust in the northern continental margin in the SCS. (2) We research on the methods for stretching factor estimation based on various lithosphere stretching models, and apply the method based on multiple finite rifting model to estimate the stretching factors of several wells and profiles in the northern continental margin of the SCS. (3) We improve one-dimension strain rate inversion method with conjugate gradient method, and apply it to invert the strain rate of several wells in the northern continental margin of the SCS. Two-dimension strain rate forward modeling is carried out, and the modeling results show that effective elastic thickness is a key parameter to control basin’s geometry. (4) We simulate divergent upwelling mantle flow model using finite difference method, and apply this newly developed model to examine the formation mechanism of the northwest and central sub-basin in the SCS. (5) We inverse plate thickness and basal temperature of oceanic lithosphere using sea-floor ages and bathymetries of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic based on varied-parameters plate model, in which the heat conductivity, heat capacity and coefficient of thermal expansion depend on temperature or depth. A new empirical formula is put forward based the inversed parameters, which depicts the relation among sea-floor age, bathymetry and heat flow. Then various similar empirical formulae, including the newly developed one, are applied to examine the sea-floor spread issue in the SCS based on the heat flow and bathymetry data of the abyssal sub-basin.

The stability zone of gas hydrate in the slope of East China Sea and neighboring trough basin area

We analyze the distribution of temperature and heat flow of the sea floor sediment in the area of East China Sea slope and West basin area of the Okinawa Trough. Based on the Sonar Buoy and OBS data, 6 velocity layers are recognized, each of which has velocity of 1.8(1.8 similar to 2.2) km/s,2.2(2.0 similar to 2.5)km/s,2.8 (2.7 similar to 3.2)km/s,3.4 similar to 3.6km/s,4.2(4.1 similar to 4.7)km/s and 5.1km/s, respectively. The upper velocity layer of 1.8 similar to 2.2 km/s corresponds to the Quaternary sediment stratum. The layer with velocity 3.4 similar to 4.2km/s is the Pliocene sediment stratum. The area that is suitable for stable existence of gas hydrate by the temperature and pressure is 70,000km(2) about 1/10 the total area of East China Sea. The thickness of the stability zone ranges from 400m (Middle Part of Okinawa Trough) to 1100m (North and South Part of Okinawa Trough). The Quaternary and Pliocene layers are suitable for stable exitence of gas hydrate. According to the tectonic stability and heat flow, the north part and south part of the Okinawa Trough are the most perspective area for the gas hydrate explorations.

Observational evidence of the Yellow Sea warm current

The Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC) is one of the principal currents in the Yellow Sea in winter. Former examinations on current activity in the Yellow Sea have not observed a stable YSWC because of the positioning of current meters. To further understand the YSWC, a research cruise in the southern Yellow Sea was carried out in the winter of 2006/2007. Five moorings with bottom-mounted acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP) were deployed on the western side of the central trough of the Yellow Sea. The existence and distributional features of the YSWC were studied by analyzing three ADCP moorings in the path of the YSWC in conjunction with conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) data over the observed area in the southern Yellow Sea. The results show the following. (1) The upper layer of the YSWC is strongly influenced by winter cold surge; its direction and speed often vary along a south-north axis when strong cold surges arrive from the north. (2) The YSWC near the bottom layer is a stable northwest flowing current with a speed of 4 to 10 cm/s. By combining the analyses of the CTD data, we speculate that the core of the YSWC may lie near the bottom. (3) On a monthly average timescale, the YSWC is stably oriented with northward flow from the sea surface to the sea floor.

Organic geochemical studies of sinking particulate material in China sea area(I) - Organic matter fluxes and distributional features of hydrocarbon compounds and fatty acids

Sinking particulate material collected from Nansha Yongshu reef lagoon and the continental shelf of the East China Sea by sediment traps has been analyzed and studied for the first time using organic geochemical method. The results show that about half of the sinking particulate organic matter in the two study areas are consumed before reaching the depth of 5 m to the sea floor and the degree of this consumption in Yongshu reef lagoon is larger than that in the continental shelf of the East China Sea. The distributions of hydrocarbons and fatty acids indicate that the minor difference of biological sources of sinking particulate organic matter exists between Yongshu reel lagoon and the continental shelf of the East China Sea, but they mainly come from marine plankton. Stronger biological and biochemical transformations of sinking particulate organic matter are also observed and the intensity of this transformation in Yongshu reef lagoon is greater than that in the continental shelf of the East China Sea. It is found that the occurrence of C-25 highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) diene may be related to the composition of diatom species.

Vertical transferring process of rare elements in coral reef lagoons of Nansha Islands, South China Sea

The vertical fluxes and vertical transferring forms of 18 rare elements were studied for the first time in the coral reef ecosystem of Nansha Islands, South China Sea, by deploying sediment traps, The results showed that the vertical transferring flux of most of the measured rare elements in Yongshu lagoon were higher than that in Zhubi lagoon. The vertical transferring forms of rare elements were mainly in the carbonate form, but Ta, As, Th mainly in the ion-exchange form, Ag in iron-manganese oxide form and Sb in the organic matter + sulphide form. None of the 18 rare elements was transferred mainly in the form of detritus silicate to sea floor. This proved that rare elements originating from the earth's crust were redistributed in sinking particulates after they were brought into ocean. The relation between the fluxes and surface seawater temperature (STT) was also studied. The sensitivity of rare elements to SST was in order: Rb>V>As>Ti>U>Zn>Sb>Hf>Ag>Cs.

Ocean currents-induced pipeline lateral stability on sandy seabed

Unlike previous mechanical actuator loading methods, in this study, a hydrodynamic loading method was employed in a flow flume for simulating ocean currents induced submarine pipeline stability on a sandy seabed. It has been observed that, in the process of pipeline losing lateral stability in currents, there usually exist three characteristic times: (1) onset of sand scour; (2) slight lateral displacement of pipeline; and (3) breakout of pipeline. An empirical linear relationship is established between the dimensionless submerged weight of pipeline and Froude number for describing pipeline lateral stability in currents, in which the current-pipe-soil coupling effects are reflected. Scale effects are examined with the method of "modeling of models," and the sand particle size effects on pipeline stability are also discussed. Moreover, the pipeline stability in currents is compared with that in waves, which indicates that the pipeline laid directly upon the sandy seabed is more laterally stable in currents than in waves.

ISOTOPIC CHARACTERISTICS AND AGE DATING OF THE PUMICE IN OKINAWA TROUGH

The data on the isotope compositions of rubidium, strontium and oxygen in the pumice of Okinawa Trough are reported for the first time. The ages of the pumice were successfully dated with the method of U-series disequilibrium. Then, the material source, crystallization evolution of magma and activity cycles of volcanos are explored. Isotopic data show that pumice magma was originally from the mantle, but had undergone a full crystallization differentiation and had been contaminated to a fair extent by crust-derived materials before the magma was erupted out of the sea floor. According to the dating results available so far, the earliest volcanic eruption in Okinawa Trough occurred about 70,000 a ago and the latest eruption was about 10,000 a B.P. During this period, there were three volcanic eruption cycles which were respectively corresponding to the middle Late Pleistocene, the late Late Pleistocene and the Early Holocene.