Tectonic controls on greenhouse gas flux to the Paleogene atmosphere from the Gulf of Alaska accretionary prism

Research Article| June 01, 2002 Tectonic controls on greenhouse gas flux to the Paleogene atmosphere from the Gulf of Alaska accretionary prism Travis L. Hudson; Travis L. Hudson 1Applied Geology, 1432 Fox Hollow Road, Sequim, Washington 98382, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Leslie B. Magoon Leslie B. Magoon 2U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Travis L. Hudson 1Applied Geology, 1432 Fox Hollow Road, Sequim, Washington 98382, USA Leslie B. Magoon 2U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 19 Nov 2001 Revision Received: 26 Jan 2002 Accepted: 01 Feb 2002 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2002) 30 (6): 547–550. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<0547:TCOGGF>2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 19 Nov 2001 Revision Received: 26 Jan 2002 Accepted: 01 Feb 2002 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Travis L. Hudson, Leslie B. Magoon; Tectonic controls on greenhouse gas flux to the Paleogene atmosphere from the Gulf of Alaska accretionary prism. Geology 2002;; 30 (6): 547–550. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<0547:TCOGGF>2.0.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 The late Paleocene to early Eocene (ca. 61–56 Ma) was a period of long-term global warming, perhaps the warmest in the Cenozoic. Recent modeling suggests that methane loading of the atmosphere, and related development of polar stratospheric clouds, could have been an important forcing mechanism for this period of warm climate. The Gulf of Alaska accretionary prism contained ∼6 × 106 km3 of siliciclastic sediments deposited in trench and slope settings along Alaska's Maastrichtian and Paleogene continental margin. These sediments underwent complex deformation, accretion, and unusual high heat flow soon after deposition. Accretion processes thermally overmatured the sediments during a time that overlaps the 61–56 Ma period of long-term global warming. Assuming a modest average organic carbon content of 0.3 wt% in these sediments, an estimated 8.35 × 1015 kg of methane were generated in the accretionary prism over an ∼5 m.y. period. This methane was not effectively trapped, and migration pathways to the atmosphere were developed through complexly deformed and emergent continental borderlands. The Gulf of Alaska accretionary prism is a possible source of the atmospheric methane needed to force Paleocene and early Eocene global warming and an example of how tectonic processes can significantly recycle carbon from the geosphere. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.