Premium
The source is in the sink: Deep‐water deposition by a submarine volcanic arc, Taranaki Basin, New Zealand
Author(s) -
Shumaker Lauren E.,
Sharman Glenn R.,
King Peter R.,
Graham Stephan A.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
sedimentology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.494
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1365-3091
pISSN - 0037-0746
DOI - 10.1111/sed.12475
Subject(s) - geology , submarine volcano , volcano , mud volcano , sedimentary rock , submarine , sedimentology , structural basin , sink (geography) , sedimentary depositional environment , geochemistry , paleontology , oceanography , geomorphology , cartography , geography
Submarine volcanoes produce sediment that originates and remains in a deep‐water setting, never escaping the water column. This situation puts a twist on the idea of ‘source to sink’ pathways, where both source and sink are in the submarine realm. Submarine volcanoes may play a significant role in basin sedimentation and evolution, but direct observation of sediment production and dispersal from submerged volcanoes is logistically difficult. This study analyzes the Mohakatino Formation, a Miocene deep‐marine unit produced by ancient submarine volcanoes of the Taranaki Basin, New Zealand, to investigate sediment transport and deposition from these volcanoes. Outcrop analysis of the volcanogenic deposits suggests a submarine lobe environment in a north–south elongated sub‐basin, confined by the growing volcanic arc to the north and west and a fault‐controlled topographic high to the east. Composition and sedimentary structures indicate that most deposits in this area are reworked volcanogenic material, rather than primary deposits from individual eruption events, transported to the depocentre by eruption‐initiated and mass wasting‐initiated turbidity currents. This study highlights the need for submarine volcanoes to be considered in source to sink investigations, to ascertain their role as sediment sources to marine basins. Deeply submerged volcanoes are disconnected from some environmental signals, while sedimentation from shallow‐water volcanoes may be especially sensitive to perturbations in sea‐level and climate. In both cases, a short transfer zone between source and sink may increase the likelihood that source area signals are transmitted to the sedimentary record.