Methane-generated(?) pockmarks on young, thickly sedimented oceanic crust in the Arctic: Vestnesa ridge, Fram strait

Research Article| March 01, 1994 Methane-generated(?) pockmarks on young, thickly sedimented oceanic crust in the Arctic: Vestnesa ridge, Fram strait Peter R. Vogt; Peter R. Vogt 1Marine Geosciences Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Kathleen Crane; Kathleen Crane 1Marine Geosciences Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Eirik Sundvor; Eirik Sundvor 2Seismological Observatory, University of Bergen, Allegaten 41, N-5007 Bergen, Norway Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Michael D. Max; Michael D. Max 3Supreme Allied Command Atlantic Undersea Research Centre, Army Post Office, New York, New York 09019-5000 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Stephanie L. Pfirman Stephanie L. Pfirman 4Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, New York 10964 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Peter R. Vogt 1Marine Geosciences Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375 Kathleen Crane 1Marine Geosciences Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375 Eirik Sundvor 2Seismological Observatory, University of Bergen, Allegaten 41, N-5007 Bergen, Norway Michael D. Max 3Supreme Allied Command Atlantic Undersea Research Centre, Army Post Office, New York, New York 09019-5000 Stephanie L. Pfirman 4Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, New York 10964 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1994) 22 (3): 255–258. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1994)022<0255:MGPOYT>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Peter R. Vogt, Kathleen Crane, Eirik Sundvor, Michael D. Max, Stephanie L. Pfirman; Methane-generated(?) pockmarks on young, thickly sedimented oceanic crust in the Arctic: Vestnesa ridge, Fram strait. Geology 1994;; 22 (3): 255–258. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1994)022<0255:MGPOYT>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Acoustic backscatter imagery in the Fram strait (between Greenland and Spitzbergen) reveals a 1-3-km-wide, 50-km-long belt of ∼50 pointlike backscatter objects decorating the ∼1300-m-deep crest of Vestnesa Ridge, a 1- >2 km thick sediment drift possibly underlain by a transform-parallel oceanic basement ridge (crustal ages ∼3-14 Ma). A 3.5 kHz seismic-reflection profile indicates that at least some objects are pockmarks ∼100-200 m in diameter and 10-20 m deep. The pockmarks (possibly also mud diapirs) may have been formed by evolution of methane generated by the decomposition of marine organic matter in the Vestnesa ridge sediment drift. The ridge may be underlain by an anticlinal carapace of methane-hydrate calculated to be 200-300 m thick, comparable to the hydrate thickness measured just to the south. The rising methane would collect in the ridge-crest trap, intermittently escaping to the sea floor. This hypothesis is supported by multichannel evidence for bright spots and bottom-simulating reflectors in the area. The pockmark belt may also be located above a transcurrent fault. Sediment slumps on the flanks of Vestnesa ridge and northeast of Molloy ridge may have been triggered by plate-boundary earthquakes and facilitated by methane hydrates. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.