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Corrosion patterns of seep‐carbonates from the eastern Mediterranean Sea
Author(s) -
Himmler Tobias,
Brinkmann Florian,
Bohrmann Gerhard,
Peckmann Jörn
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
terra nova
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.353
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-3121
pISSN - 0954-4879
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3121.2011.01000.x
Subject(s) - aragonite , petroleum seep , carbonate , cold seep , methane , geology , anaerobic oxidation of methane , corrosion , mud volcano , geochemistry , dissolution , carbon fibers , calcite , calcium carbonate , mineralogy , environmental chemistry , chemical engineering , materials science , chemistry , metallurgy , organic chemistry , composite number , engineering , composite material
Terra Nova, 23, 206–212, 2011 Abstract Porous seep‐carbonates are exposed at mud volcanoes in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The 13 C‐depleted aragonitic carbonates formed as a consequence of the anaerobic oxidation of methane in a shallow sub‐surface environment. Besides the macroscopically visible cavernous fabric, extensive carbonate corrosion was revealed by detailed analysis. After erosion of the background sediments, the carbonates became exposed to oxygenated bottom waters that are periodically influenced by the release of methane and upward diffusion of hydrogen sulphide. We suggest that carbonate corrosion resulted from acidity locally produced by aerobic oxidation of methane and hydrogen sulphide in the otherwise, with respect to aragonite, oversaturated bottom waters. Although it remains to be tested whether the mechanisms of carbonate dissolution suggested herein are valid, this study reveals that a better estimate of the significance of corrosion is required to assess the amount of methane‐derived carbon that is permanently fixed in seep‐carbonates.