Total Sulfur and Calcium Contents of Seep Fluids and Their Controls in the Cold Seep Sites

Abstract

Abstract:

By analysis of insitu measured total sulfur and calcium contents in seep fluids at Bush Hill in Gulf of Mexico, and at Hydrate Ridge in Cascadia, this study observed that total sulfur and calcium contents of seep fluids are about 50%-70% of those of seawater, and discussed activity characteristics of seep fluids and the control factors of total sulfur and calcium contents of seep fluids. The tendency of the variation of total sulfur and calcium contents of seep fluids at these two seep sites is relatively consistent over time. The total sulfur and calcium contents of seep fluids are low during the stage of the high frequency variation of seep fluid flux; it might be mainly controlled by widelyoccurred anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) on the seafloor at seep sites, and also possibly affected by the dilution of pure water derived from hydrate dissociation, clay mineral dehydration and oilgas reservoir destroyed.

Key words: total seep fluid, sulfur and calcium content, anaerobic methane oxidation, hydrate dissolution, clay dehydration

CLC Number:

P736.4

DI Peng-Fei, Huang-Hua-Gu, CHEN Duo-Fu. Total Sulfur and Calcium Contents of Seep Fluids and Their Controls in the Cold Seep Sites[J]. Geoscience, 2010, 24(3): 570-575.

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