Heat flow measurements in the Weddell Sea

From January to March 1987, heat flow measurements were tried at four sites (Sites 689, 690, 695, and 696) during ODP Leg 113, in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica. At Site 690 (Maud Rise), a convex upward shaped temperature vs. depth profile was observed. This profile cannot be explained by steady-state conduction through solid materials only. We conclude that the minimum heat flow value at Site 690 is 45 mW/m2. A prominent bottom simulating reflector (BSR) was observed at 600 mbsf at Site 695. However, the observed temperature is too high to explain the BSR as a gas hydrate. The origin of the BSR remains unknown, although it is probably of biogenic origin as observed in the Bering Sea during DSDP Leg 19. After correcting for the effects of sedimentation, heat flow values at Sites 695 and 696 are 69 and 63 mW/m2, respectively. Furthermore, we compiled heat flow data south of 50°S. In the Weddell Sea region, the eastern part shows relatively low heat flow in comparison with the western part, with the boundary between them at about 15°W longitude.

Sediment wave layer summary in ODP Site 172-1062

Abyssal mud waves (or fine-grained sediment waves) are often cited as evidence for deep current activity because subbottom profiles show that the wave form has migrated with time. The migration history of a fine-grained sediment wave on the Blake-Bahama Outer Ridge (ODP Site 1062) has been studied through the analysis of multiple ODP holes spaced across the wave. Additional information about wave migration patterns comes from 3.5-kHz records and watergun seismic profiles. These data suggest that wave migration has varied during the last not, vert, similar ~10 Myr, although the only sediments sampled are younger than 4.8 Ma. Seismic profiles suggest wave migration was initiated about 8-10 Ma, and wave migration was pronounced from about 5 Ma to about 1 Ma (with an episode of wave reorganization about 4.5 Ma). Analysis of ODP cores suggests that migration rates have been somewhat lower and more variable during the last 1 Myr. Intervals of no wave migration are observed for several time intervals and appear to characterize deglaciations, especially during the last 500 kyr. Comparisons between seismic profiles and the core record show that most of the seismic horizons correlate closely with time horizons, and thus that the seismic profiles give a reasonable representation of sediment wave migration. Models suggest that wave migration is more pronounced during periods of higher bottom current flow and less pronounced during periods of lower current flow. Thus the migration record is consistent with generally higher bottom flow speeds at this site prior to 1 Ma and lower bottom flow speeds after 1 Ma. The Mid-Pleistocene Transition from a dominant climatic periodicity of 40 kyr to a dominant climatic periodicity of 100 kyr starts at about this time, suggesting an overall reduction in bottom flow speed at this site coincident with changing climate patterns. These changes in flow speed could be related to changes in the depth of the Western Boundary Undercurrent as well as to changes in the speed of thermohaline circulation.

Heat-flow studies in the Peru Trench subduction zone

New heat-flow values were obtained in the central Peru Trench area during site surveys and drilling of Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 112 by measuring temperatures with ordinary surface heat-flow probes and in the drill holes and by estimating from bottom-simulating reflectors resulting from gas hydrates. The values determined by these methods are consistent with each other within the limits of error. When combined with existing data, heat-flow distribution from the trench to the coast was delineated. Heat flow is lower than 40 mW/m**2 at the bottom of the trench and 40 to 50 mW/m**2 on the landward slope. The low heat flow at the trench bottom can be explained partly by a high sedimentation rate. Heat flow is variable about where the Mendana Fracture Zone meets the trench. This low heat flow might result from hydrothermal circulation in the fracture zone, which some scientists believe is a new propagating rift. On the landward slope, no significant difference in heat flow is recognized between the northern side and the southern side of the fracture zone, in spite of differences in the age of the subducting plate and the tectonic history. Heat flow on the landward slope may be slightly higher than that in most other subduction zones.

Wet-bulk densities, mean atomic weights, effective porosities, grain densities, and compressional-wave velocities at DSDP Leg 58 Holes

The effects of water saturation and open pore space on the seismic velocities of crystalline rocks are extremely important when comparing laboratory data to in situ geophysical observations (e.g., Dortman and Magid, 1969; Nur and Simmons, 1969; Christensen and Salisbury, 1975). The existence of fractured rocks, flow breccias and drained pillows in oceanic crustal layer 2a, for instance, may appreciably reduce seismic velocities in that layer (Hyndman, 1976). Laboratory data assessing the influence of porosity and water saturation on seismic velocities of oceanic crustal rocks would certainly aid interpretation of marine geophysical data. Igneous rocks recovered during Leg 58 of the Deep Sea Drilling Project, in the Shikoku Basin and Daito Basin in the North Philippine Sea, are extremely vesicular, as evidenced by shipboard measurements of porosities, which range from 0 to 30 per cent (see reports on Sites 442, 443, 444, and 446, this volume). Samples with this range of porosities afford an excellent opportunity to examine the influence of porosity and water saturation on seismic velocities of oceanic basalts. This paper presents compressional-wave velocities to confining pressures of 1.5 kbars for water-saturated and air-dried basalt samples from the North Philippine Sea. Samples used in this study are from sites 442, 443 and 444 in the Shikoku Basin and Site 446 in the Daito Basin. Excellent negative correlation between porosity and compressional-wave velocity demonstrates that waterfilled pore space can significantly reduce compressionalwave velocities in porous basalts. Velocities measured in air-dried samples indicate that the velocity difference between dry samples and saturated samples is small for porosities exceeding 10 per cent, and very large for lower porosities.

Effective stress, porosity, p-wave velocity and mineral composition of ODP Hole 174A-1073A sediments

Porosity, permeability, and compressional (P-wave) velocity were measured as a function of stress on sediments from Ocean Drilling Program Site 1073, U.S. Mid-Atlantic continental slope. Thin sections, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses provided mineralogical characteristics of the samples. Uniaxial strain boundary conditions were imposed on the samples during consolidation tests with the maximum effective axial stress reaching 13 MPa. The maximum effective radial stress necessary to maintain uniaxial strain was 7.6 MPa. Over an effective axial stress interval of 0 to 5.2 MPa, Sample 174A-1073A-26X-2, 82-89 cm (226.65 meters below seafloor [mbsf]), exhibited the largest decrease in porosity (51% to 41%), whereas Sample 71X-1, 2-8 cm (644.70 mbsf), exhibited the smallest decrease in porosity (48% to 45%). All samples showed negligible porosity increases during unloading. The permeability (on the order of 1 x 10-17 m**2) of Sample 174A-1073A-71X-1, 2-8 cm, was twice that measured on Sample 8H-1, 23-26 cm (63.75 mbsf), even though the former was considerably deeper and older. The differences in porosity-stress behavior and permeability between shallow and deep samples is related to lithologic, mineralogic, and diagenetic differences between the sediments above and below the Pliocene-Pleistocene to Miocene unconformity. P-wave velocity for Samples 174A-1073A-41X-5, 97-103 cm (372.35 mbsf), and 71X-1, 2-8 cm, increased with decreasing porosity, but did not change significantly during unloading.

Results of wave modelling for Moreton Bay, Southeast Queensland, and a reef lagoon off Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

The distribution, abundance, behaviour, and morphology of marine species is affected by spatial variability in the wave environment. Maps of wave metrics (e.g. significant wave height Hs, peak energy wave period Tp, and benthic wave orbital velocity URMS) are therefore useful for predictive ecological models of marine species and ecosystems. A number of techniques are available to generate maps of wave metrics, with varying levels of complexity in terms of input data requirements, operator knowledge, and computation time. Relatively simple "fetch-based" models are generated using geographic information system (GIS) layers of bathymetry and dominant wind speed and direction. More complex, but computationally expensive, "process-based" models are generated using numerical models such as the Simulating Waves Nearshore (SWAN) model. We generated maps of wave metrics based on both fetch-based and process-based models and asked whether predictive performance in models of benthic marine habitats differed. Predictive models of seagrass distribution for Moreton Bay, Southeast Queensland, and Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, were generated using maps based on each type of wave model. For Lizard Island, performance of the process-based wave maps was significantly better for describing the presence of seagrass, based on Hs, Tp, and URMS. Conversely, for the predictive model of seagrass in Moreton Bay, based on benthic light availability and Hs, there was no difference in performance using the maps of the different wave metrics. For predictive models where wave metrics are the dominant factor determining ecological processes it is recommended that process-based models be used. Our results suggest that for models where wave metrics provide secondarily useful information, either fetch- or process-based models may be equally useful.