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Mud Volcanoes revealed and sampled on the Western Moroccan Continental Margin
Author(s) -
Gardner Joan M.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2000gl012141
Subject(s) - mud volcano , geology , volcano , breccia , seafloor spreading , geochemistry , continental margin , oceanography , continental shelf , debris , cold seep , geomorphology , paleontology , methane , tectonics , ecology , biology
We surveyed and sampled two active and 3 inactive mud volcanoes on the Atlantic continental margin of Morocco. The active mud volcanoes (named Yuma and Ginsburg) are each about 4 km in diameter, rise between 150–250 meters above the seafloor and are the first active methane‐related mud volcanoes to be identified in this region. The inactive volcanoes range in diameter from 1–3 km, with relief between 50 and 80 meters. Gravity cores from the crest of the active mud volcanoes yielded methane hydrates and mud breccia deposits. Chemosynthetic communities of Pogonophora worms and the bivalve Solemya were found on the surface of the active mud volcanoes. Sediment cores from the inactive volcanoes contained hemipelagic sediments, rich in foraminifera and ahermatypic coral debris, overlying mud breccia