Abstract
The central Chilean subduction zone between 35°S and 37°S was investigated in order to identify, document and possibly understand fluid flow and fluid venting within the forearc region. Several areas were mapped using multibeam bathymetry and backscatter, high-resolution sidescan sonar, chirp subbottom profiling and reflection seismic data. On a subsequent cruise ground-truthing observations were made using a video sled. In general, this dataset shows surprisingly little evidence of fluid venting along the mid-slope region, in contrast to other subduction zones such as Central America and New Zealand. There were abundant indications of active and predominantly fossil fluid venting along the upper slope between 36.5°S and 36.8°S at the seaward margin of an intraslope basin. Here, backscatter anomalies suggest widespread authigenic carbonate deposits, likely the result of methane-rich fluid expulsion. There is unpublished evidence that these fluids are of biogenic origin and generated within the slope sediments, similar to other accretionary margins but in contrast to the erosional margin off Central America, where fluids have geochemical signals indicating an origin from the subducting plate.
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Acknowledgements
Cruise JC23 of RRS James Cook has been made possible through the OFEG barter programme. Cruise SO210 of RV Sonne was conducted by ship time exchange with RV Meteor. We would like to thank the captains, officers and crews of both vessels for their help and great professionalism at sea. Reviews by T. Lorenson and G. Westbrook helped improving the manuscript. This is contribution 221 of the Sonderforschungsbereich (SFB) 574 “Volatiles and fluids in subduction zones” at Kiel University. SFB 574 is financed by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
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Klaucke, I., Weinrebe, W., Linke, P. et al. Sidescan sonar imagery of widespread fossil and active cold seeps along the central Chilean continental margin. Geo-Mar Lett 32, 489–499 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-012-0283-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-012-0283-1