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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
earth and planetary sciences
Cold-water coral mounds on the Pen Duick Escarpment, Gulf of Cadiz: The MiCROSYSTEMS project approach
Marine Geology, Volume 282, No. 1-2, Year 2011
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Description
Here we present a case study of three cold-water coral mounds in a juvenile growth stage on top of the Pen Duick Escarpment in the Gulf of Cadiz; Alpha, Beta and Gamma mounds. Although cold-water corals are a common feature on the adjacent cliffs, mud volcanoes and open slope, no actual living cold-water coral has been observed. This multidisciplinary and integrated study comprises geophysical, sedimentological and (bio)geochemical data and aims to present a holistic view on the interaction of both environmental and geological drivers in cold-water coral mound development in the Gulf of Cadiz. Coring data evidences (past or present) methane seepage near the Pen Duick Escarpment. Several sources and pathways are proposed, among which a stratigraphic migration through uplifted Miocene series underneath the escarpment. The dominant morphology of the escarpment has influenced the local hydrodynamics within the course of the Pliocene, as documented by the emplacement of a sediment drift. Predominantly during post-Middle Pleistocene glacial episodes, favourable conditions were present for mound growth. An additional advantage for mound formation near the top of Pen Duick Escarpment is presented by seepage-related carbonate crusts which might have offered a suitable substrate for coral settling. The spatially and temporally variable character and burial stage of the observed open reef frameworks, formed by cold-water coral rubble, provides a possible model for the transition from cold-water coral reef patches towards juvenile mound. These rubble "graveyards" not only act as sediment trap but also as micro-habitat for a wide range of organisms. The presence of a fluctuating Sulphate-Methane Transition Zone has an important effect on early diagenetic processes, affecting both geochemical and physical characteristics, transforming the buried reef into a solid mound. Nevertheless, the responsible seepage fluxes seem to be locally variable. As such, the origin and evolution of the cold-water coral mounds on top of the Pen Duick Escarpment is, probably more than any other NE Atlantic cold-water coral mound province, located on the crossroads of environmental (hydrodynamic) and geological (seepage) pathways. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
Authors & Co-Authors
Van Rooij, D.
Belgium, Ghent
Universiteit Gent
Blamart, Dominique
France, Versailles
Université de Versailles Saint-quentin-en-yvelines
De Mol, L.
Belgium, Ghent
Universiteit Gent
Mienis, Furu
Germany, Bremen
Marum – Zentrum Für Marine Umweltwissenschaften
Pirlet, H.
Belgium, Ghent
Universiteit Gent
Wehrmann, L. M.
Germany, Bremen
Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Barbieri, Roberto
Italy, Bologna
Alma Mater Studiorum Università Di Bologna
Maignien, L.
Belgium, Ghent
Universiteit Gent
Templer, S. P.
Switzerland, Zurich
Eth Zürich
de Haas, Henk
Unknown Affiliation
Hebbeln, Dierk
Germany, Bremen
Marum – Zentrum Für Marine Umweltwissenschaften
Frank, Norbert
France, Versailles
Université de Versailles Saint-quentin-en-yvelines
Larmagnat, S.
Canada, Quebec
Université Laval
Stadnitskaia, A.
Unknown Affiliation
Stivaletta, Nunzia
Italy, Bologna
Alma Mater Studiorum Università Di Bologna
van Weering, T.
Netherlands, Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Zhang, Y.
Belgium, Ghent
Universiteit Gent
Hamoumi, Naïma
Morocco, Rabat
Mohammed V University in Rabat
Cnudde, Veerle
Belgium, Ghent
Universiteit Gent
Duyck, P.
Belgium, Ghent
Universitair Ziekenhuis Gent
Henriet, Jean Pierre
Belgium, Ghent
Universiteit Gent
Statistics
Citations: 52
Authors: 21
Affiliations: 10
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.margeo.2010.08.012
ISSN:
00253227
Research Areas
Environmental
Study Design
Case Study
Study Approach
Qualitative