Ridge Seamounts Research Articles

Seismic Structure and Tectonics of the North‐Central Chilean Subduction Zone Along the Copiapó Ridge From Amphibious Seismic Refraction Tomography and Local Seismicity

AbstractThe Chilean margin is one of the Earth's tectonically most active plate boundaries, and yet, some of its segments are still underexplored. Here, we present amphibious data from the Copiapó region at ∼27°S located within the mature Atacama seismic gap. Combined 2D seismic refraction, multibeam bathymetry, and local seismicity data show a typical oceanic crust thickness of 6–7 km and seismic P‐wave velocities between 3.0 and 7.3 km/s with slightly lower velocities and increased thicknesses underneath the Copiapó Ridge seamounts. The latter is most likely due to predominantly extrusive formation. Elevated velocities underneath one of the seamounts indicate a local region of magmatic underplating, while bending‐related faults visible in the bathymetry and reduced mantle velocities near the trench suggest mantle hydration. The subduction angle of the down‐going Nazca plate smoothly increases from 12° below the marine forearc to 22° at greater depths (40–60 km) with no abrupt change in the dip angle as observed at ∼22°S. The local seismicity off‐ and onshore Copiapó shows three separated bands of earthquakes sub‐parallel to the down‐going plate, and are most likely related to the plate interface, the oceanic Moho and the Double Benioff Zone. The largest event (MW 5.9) during our observation period (December 2022–June 2023) and its aftershocks occurred in the deepest band ∼20 km below the subduction interface. Along the interface, seismicity is most pronounced in areas of high locking offshore, whereas areas of low locking are characterized by previously observed slow slip events and sparse seismicity.

Planktonic foraminiferal assemblages as tracers of paleoceanographic changes within the northern Benguela current system since the Early Pleistocene

Abstract. The Benguela Upwelling System (BUS), located in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean, represents one of the world's most productive regions. This system is delimited to the south by the Agulhas retroflection region. The northern boundary of the BUS is, instead, represented by the Angola–Benguela Front (ABF), which is a thermal feature separating warm waters of the Angola Basin (including the South Atlantic Central Water; SACW) from the cooler Benguela Oceanic Current (BOC). We performed statistical analyses on planktonic foraminiferal assemblages in 94 samples from Holes U1575A and U1576A, cored during International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 391. Drilled sites are located along the Tristan–Gough–Walvis Ridge (TGW) seamount track in the northern sector of the BUS (offshore the Namibian continental margin). The analyzed stratigraphic intervals span the Early–Late Pleistocene, marked by the Early–Middle Pleistocene transition (EMPT; 1.40–0.40 Myr), during which important glacial–interglacial sea surface temperature (SST) variabilities occurred. This work provides novel insights on the local paleoceanographic evolution of the northern BUS and associated thermocline variability based on the ecological significance of the foraminiferal assemblages. Specifically, variations in the assemblage content allowed us to characterize the different water masses (BOC, SACW, and Agulhas waters) and reconstruct their interactions during the Quaternary. The interplay of the previously mentioned water masses induced perturbations in the BUS (ABF latitudinal shifts and input of tropical waters from the Agulhas retroflection region). Furthermore, we investigated the possible link between changes in the paleoceanographic conditions and climatic events (e.g., Benguela Niño-/Niña-like phases and deglaciation stages) recorded since the EMPT.

Frontal wedge variations and controls of submarine landslides in the Negros–Sulu Trench System, Philippines

Frontal wedge characteristics provide clues to the efficiency of the overriding slab for large displacement during megathrust and upper-plate earthquakes, whereas submarine landslides along active margins may trigger or amplify tsunamis. The lack of clear precursors of submarine failures poses difficulty in monitoring and providing real-time alert warning systems. With that, delineating submarine features along active margins, their spatial distribution, and controls provide valuable information in identifying regions susceptible to large submarine landslides and tsunami hazard assessments. In this study, we performed terrain and morphometric analyses on 20 m resolution bathymetry data to map submarine landslides, submarine canyons, and lineaments in the forearc margin of the Negros–Sulu Trench System in the Philippines. Lineaments are distributed mainly along the frontal wedge, where previous seismic surveys revealed that the mapped ridges are morphotectonic expressions of thrusted sediments. The morphological variations of the four frontal wedge segments were attributed to heterogeneous sediment influx, convergence rates, and subduction processes. More than 1,200 submarine landslides and their morphometric parameters were delineated, and exploratory spatial analyses indicate clustering and underlying controls. The tendencies of prolate submarine landslides (high L/W) to significantly cluster along submarine canyons while oblate morphologies (low L/W) along the frontal wedge reflect the different environments and geomorphological conditions to form these contrasting shapes. Ubiquitous small submarine landslides are mainly controlled by submarine canyon systems at relatively shallow depths of <2 km, where high sediment influx from inland sources preconditions instability. Large submarine landslides (>0.5 km3), on the other hand, are significantly most clustered where the Cagayan Ridge seamount collides and subsequently subducts beneath the northernmost frontal wedge. This suggests the dominant role of seamount subduction and related tectonic processes causing slope steepening to mainly induce large submarine landslides. This study unveiled how submarine landslides vary morphologically depending on their spatial, geomorphological, and tectonic controls in the active margin. This new information provides clues in identifying offshore areas susceptible to large submarine landslides that may induce damaging tsunamis in the Negros–Sulu Trench System as well as in other active margins of similar underlying controls.

Seismic and aseismic slip during the 2006 Copiapó swarm in North-Central Chile

Earthquake swarms commonly occur along the Chilean subduction zone, witnessing fast seismic and slow aseismic slip behavior at the plate interface. However, the largest seismic swarms observed in Chile, particularly in the Copiapó-Atacama region, remain poorly documented, and the underlying processes have yet to be understood. Here, we perform seismological and geodetic analyses to investigate the 2006 Copiapó swarm, which developed in April and May 2006. The swarm began on April 19, with a magnitude Ml 5.3 earthquake. During the nine following days, we observe a migration of seismicity along the plate interface, the occurrence of doublets events, and a potential slow slip event in the GPS time series at site Copiapó. Then, on April 30, a first earthquake with Mw 6.6 occurred at 15 km depth at the plate contact. It likely triggered a second earthquake of magnitude Mw 6.5, which occurred 144 min later, 10 km northwest of the first earthquake. Using InSAR, we determined the slip distribution associated with these two earthquakes and detailed the postseismic slip they triggered in the next days and weeks. This “postseismic” phase appears to be predominantly aseismic, while the moment released during the “coseismic” phase is comparable to other seismic crises that occurred in Atacama. Although we did not find a larger seismic and aseismic ratio than in other swarms in South America, we suggest a similar mechanism of slow deformation as a driver of seismicity during seismic swarms. Finally, we propose that the slow and fast behavior of the 2006 Copiapó swarm is a consequence of the subduction of the Copiapó Ridge seamounts, which affects both the plate interface and the overriding plate by inducing complex interactions between seismic and aseismic processes.

Seamount seascape composition and configuration shape Southwest Indian Ridge fish assemblages

Seamounts are commercially important fishing grounds. Yet, little is known about their physical characteristics as fish habitat, important for informing conservation and ecosystem-based management.This study examines how multiscale seabed spatial heterogeneity influences commercially important fish families at three Southwest Indian Ridge seamounts (Coral Seamount, Melville Bank and Atlantis Bank). We quantified seascape heterogeneity from bathymetry and geomorphological habitat maps and identified 15 focal fish families from video data. Fish-habitat associations were examined using spatial pattern metrics that measured terrain morphology, seascape composition (variety and relative abundance of patch types) and seascape configuration (spatial arrangement of patches). Broader seascape context was characterised by geographic location and water depth. Multivariate regression trees and random forests modelled fish-habitat associations and identified the most influential explanatory variables.Assemblage characteristics and individual families were strongly influenced by geographic location and depth, and at finer scales (500 m buffers) seascape composition and configuration helped explain fish-habitat associations. Spatially continuous summit habitat and complex shaped ridge features supported high abundance and diversity of commercial fish families. Metrics of seascape composition and configuration (i.e., habitat size, shape and structural connectivity) had higher predictive power than the terrain metrics commonly used in developing proxies for deep-water fish species and biodiversity.These outcomes indicate that seascape metrics, commonly applied on land and in shallow marine environments, are also relevant environmental predictors of fish distributions in deep-sea environments. We highlight strong context dependency and depth-specific associations that hinder attempts to draw wider generalisations on fish-seascape linkages for seamounts.

Mapping, quantifying and comparing seascape heterogeneity of Southwest Indian Ridge seamounts

ContextSeamounts are abundant geomorphological features creating seabed spatial heterogeneity, a main driver of deep-sea biodiversity. Despite its ecological importance, substantial knowledge gaps exist on the character of seamount spatial heterogeneity.ObjectivesThis study aimed to map, quantify and compare seamount seascapes to test whether individual habitats and seamounts differ in geomorphological structuring, and to identify spatial pattern metrics useful to discriminate between habitats and seamounts.MethodsWe mapped and classified geomorphological habitat using bathymetric data collected at five Southwest Indian Ridge seamounts. Spatial pattern metrics from landscape ecology are applied to quantify and compare seascape heterogeneity in composition and configuration represented in resulting habitat maps.ResultsWhilst part of the same regional geological feature, seamounts differed in seascape composition and configuration. Five geomorphological habitat types occurred across sites, which within seamounts differed in patch area, shape and clustering, with ridge habitat most dissimilar. Across seamounts, the spatial distribution of patches differed in number, shape, habitat aggregation and intermixing, and outcomes were used to score seamounts on a gradient from low to high spatial heterogeneity.ConclusionsAlthough seamounts have been conceptualised as similar habitats, this study revealed quantitative differences in seascape spatial heterogeneity. As variations in relative proportion and spatial relationships of habitats within seamounts may influence ecological functioning, the proposed quantitative approach can generate insights into within-seamount characteristics and seamount types relevant for habitat mappers and marine managers focusing on representational ecosystem-based management of seamounts. Further research into associations of sessile and mobile seamount biodiversity with seascape composition and configuration at relevant spatial scales will help improve ecological interpretation of metrics, as will incorporating oceanographic parameters.

Technological and chemical characteristics of spurdog <i>Squalus boretzi</i>

Safety indices, size-weight structure, and chemical composition of the muscle tissue and liver are determined for a small-sized shark species as spurdog Squalus boretzi caught with longline in the area of Imperial Ridge seamounts (North-West Pacific). The highest catch was recorded on Koko Rise at the depth of 700 m. The sharks had the body length from 55 to 94 cm and the weight of 830–4540 g. Content of proteins and lipids in the muscle tissue (24.8 % and 0.8 %, respectively) of spurdog corresponds to low-calorie high-protein fish. The proteins contain all the essential amino acids in the ratio close to an «ideal protein». The lipids are presented by mainly phospholipids (57 % of total amount). The portion of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the lipids is 46.6 %, including 36.9 % of omega-3 fatty acids. The sum of biologically significant fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic) reaches 34.7 %. The shark liver contains about 83 % of lipids, mostly monounsaturated fatty acids (53 % of total lipid amount) and 20.6 % of PUFA. The amount of biologically significant fatty acids (EPA + DHA) in the liver is about 10.5 %. In terms of hygienic and microbiological parameters, the muscle tissue of Squalus boretzi meets the requirements of Euro-Asian Union (№ 040/2016) and Customs Union (№ 021/2011). However, a heightened content of mercury is found in the liver of spurdog that makes difficult to use this source of valuable lipids.

Crustal Structure of the Incoming Iquique Ridge Offshore Northern Chile

AbstractThe Peru‐Chile subduction zone hosts M > 8 earthquakes as well as multiple ridges on the downgoing Nazca plate, making this region well suited for investigating the formation, evolution, and potential impacts of subducting features on seismogenesis. To evaluate the physical properties and structural variability of the Iquique Ridge offshore northern Chile, we present a P wave velocity model of the Nazca plate and Iquique Ridge outboard of the 2014 M 8.1 Iquique earthquake sequence. 2D tomographic inversions of P wave traveltime data from the 2016 PICTURES (Pisagua/Iquique Crustal Tomography to Understand the Region of the Earthquake Source) controlled‐source experiment indicate that the Iquique Ridge is characterized by significant crustal thickening relative to typical Nazca plate oceanic crust, with a maximum thickness of ∼13 km beneath the most prominent portion of the Iquique Ridge and outer rise. Reduced upper crustal seismic velocities extend from the ridge eastward to the trench, which may indicate increased fracturing and/or hydration during plate bending. Corresponding multi‐channel seismic reflection data show along‐profile structural variation as well, including an intermittent Moho reflector near the onset of crustal thickening and faulting along the landward slope. The structural heterogeneity entering the Peru‐Chile Trench has potential implications for slip behavior at depth assuming that the anomalous crustal structure continues beneath the forearc. We suggest that the increased buoyant normal force associated with discrete subducted Iquique Ridge seamounts similar to the zone of thick crust imaged here could lead to localized increased interplate coupling, while entrained sediment and fractured/altered crust could facilitate aseismic slip.

A first assessment of the distribution and abundance of large pelagic species at Cocos Ridge seamounts (Eastern Tropical Pacific) using drifting pelagic baited remote cameras.

Understanding the link between seamounts and large pelagic species (LPS) may provide important insights for the conservation of these species in open water ecosystems. The seamounts along the Cocos Ridge in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) ocean are thought to be ecologically important aggregation sites for LPS when moving between Cocos Island (Costa Rica) and Galapagos Islands (Ecuador). However, to date, research efforts to quantify the abundance and distribution patterns of LPS beyond the borders of these two oceanic Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been limited. This study used drifting-pelagic baited remote underwater video stations (BRUVS) to investigate the distribution and relative abundance of LPS at Cocos Ridge seamounts. Our drifting-pelagic BRUVS recorded a total of 21 species including elasmobranchs, small and large teleosts, dolphins and one sea turtle; of which four species are currently threatened. Depth of seamount summit was the most significant driver for LPS richness and abundance which were significantly higher at shallow seamounts (< 400 m) compared to deeper ones (> 400m). Distance to nearest MPA was also a significant predictor for LPS abundance, which increased at increasing distances from the nearest MPA. Our results suggest that the Cocos Ridge seamounts, specifically Paramount and West Cocos which had the highest LPS richness and abundance, are important aggregation sites for LPS in the ETP. However, further research is still needed to demonstrate a positive association between LPS and Cocos Ridge seamounts. Our findings showed that drifting pelagic BRUVS are an effective tool to survey LPS in fully pelagic ecosystems of the ETP. This study represents the first step towards the standardization of this technique throughout the region.

Long‐term Observations Reveal Environmental Conditions and Food Supply Mechanisms at an Arctic Deep‐Sea Sponge Ground

AbstractDeep‐sea sponge grounds are hotspots of benthic biomass and diversity. To date, very limited data exist on the range of environmental conditions in areas containing deep‐sea sponge grounds and which factors are driving their distribution and sustenance. We investigated oceanographic conditions at a deep‐sea sponge ground located on an Arctic Mid‐Ocean Ridge seamount. Hydrodynamic measurements were performed along Conductivity‐Temperature‐Depth transects, and a lander was deployed within the sponge ground that recorded near‐bottom physical properties as well as vertical fluxes of organic matter over an annual cycle. The data demonstrate that the sponge ground is found at water temperatures of −0.5°C to 1°C and is situated at the interface between two water masses at only 0.7° equatorward of the turning point latitude of semi‐diurnal lunar internal tides. Internal waves supported by vertical density stratification interact with the seamount topography and produce turbulent mixing as well as resuspension of organic matter with temporarily very high current speeds up to 0.72 m s−1. The vertical movement of the water column delivers food and nutrients from water layers above and below toward the sponge ground. Highest organic carbon flux was observed during the summer phytoplankton bloom period, providing fresh organic matter from the surface. The flux of fresh organic matter is unlikely to sustain the carbon demand of this ecosystem. Therefore, the availability of bacteria, nutrients, and dissolved and particulate matter, delivered by tidally forced internal wave turbulence and transport by horizontal mean flows, likely plays an important role in meeting ecosystem‐level food requirements.

Mortality, Population and Community Dynamics of the Glass Sponge Dominated Community “The Forest of the Weird” From the Ridge Seamount, Johnston Atoll, Pacific Ocean

ecosystem dynamics of benthic communities depend on the relative importance of organism reproductive traits, environmental factors, inter-specific interactions and mortality processes. fine-scale community ecology of sessile organisms can be investigated using spatial analyses because the position of the specimens on the substrate (their spatial positions) reflects the biological and ecological processes that they were subject to in-life. Consequently, spatial point process analyses (SPPA) and Bayesian network inference (BNI) can be used to reveal key insights into the ecological dynamics of these deep-sea communities. Here we use these analyses to investigate the ecology of deep-sea glass sponge dominated community The Forest of the Weird (2442m depth, Ridge Seamount, Johnston Atoll, Pacific Ocean). A 3D reconstruction was made of this community using photogrammetry of video stills taken from high-resolution ROV video. community was dominated by two genera of Hexactinellids: Farreidae Aspidoscopulia sp. and Euplectellidae Bolosominae sp. with octocorals Narella bowersi, Narella macrocalyx and Rhodaniridogorgia also present in large proportions. SPPA of the dead versus alive organisms revealed a random distribution of dead amongst the living, showing a non-density dependent cause of death for the majority of taxa. However, in the high-density ridge crest region there was non-random aggregation of dead specimens, revealing density-dependent mortality for Aspidoscopulia. SPPA showed that the glass sponges and octocorals were each most strongly influenced by different underlying processes, and reacted to the environmental conditions differently. octocorals responded to higher density areas with increased intra-specific competition, whilst the glass-sponges seemed impervious to a doubling of specimen density. BNI found that mutual habitat associations between different taxa resulted in inter-specific competition at larger (2-4m) spatial scales, with instances of competition at small-spatial scales (<0.75m) in the higher-density ridge crest section. To our knowledge, this study is the first to analyze the mortality, population and community dynamics of a deep-sea sponge community using spatial point process analyses. Our results provide the first insight into the variety of ecological behaviors of these different glass sponges and octocorals, and show how these different organisms have developed diverse responses to the biological and environmental gradients within their habitat.

The Norfolk Ridge seamounts: Eocene–Miocene volcanoes near Zealandia’s rifted continental margin

New age and geochemical data are used to investigate the origin of a ∼670 km-long line of eight seamount volcanoes along the western side of the Norfolk Ridge between New Caledonia and New Zealand. Altered lavas and limestones were dredged from three volcanoes during the 2015 Volcanic Evolution of South Pacific Arcs cruise of N/O l’Atalante, so a total of four, including the northernmost and southernmost, have now been directly sampled and analysed. Dating of lava and volcanic breccia clasts by Ar–Ar methods gives north-to-south ages from these sites of 31.3 ± 0.6, 33 ± 5, 21.5 ± 1.0 and 26.3 ± 0.1 Ma. These ages, along with supporting stratigraphic data on a fifth seamount from IODP borehole U1507, provisionally refute the hypotheses that the seamounts represent a southward-younging, age-progressive, intraplate volcanic chain on the Australian Plate or a subduction-related chain of restricted age range. Geochemically, the upper Eocene to lower Miocene lavas have alkaline and subalkaline basaltic compositions, and some could be shoshonitic. The location of the volcanoes along the western side of the Norfolk Ridge suggests an origin related to late Eocene and early Miocene melting near an intracontinental lithosphere–asthenosphere step. Involvement of a deep slab in petrogenesis is also possible. KEY POINTS Eight seamounts form a line along the Norfolk Ridge. Dating and geochemistry indicate the seamount line is not a hotspot track. A rift-related origin, possibly with influence by subduction, is proposed.

Oceanographic Drivers of Deep-Sea Coral Species Distribution and Community Assembly on Seamounts, Islands, Atolls, and Reefs Within the Phoenix Islands Protected Area

The Phoenix Islands Protected Area, in the central Pacific waters of the Republic of Kiribati, is a model for large marine protected area (MPA) development and maintenance, but baseline records of the protected biodiversity in its largest environment, the deep sea (>200m), have not yet been determined. In general, the equatorial central Pacific lacks biogeographic perspective on deep-sea benthic communities compared to more well-studied regions of the North and South Pacific Ocean. In 2017, explorations by the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer and R/V Falkor were among the first to document the diversity and distribution of deep-water benthic megafauna on numerous seamounts, islands, shallow coral reef banks, and atolls in the region. Here, we present baseline deep-sea coral species distribution and community assembly patterns within the Scleractinia, Octocorallia, Antipatharia, and Zoantharia with respect to different seafloor features and abiotic environmental variables across bathyal depths (200-2500m). Remotely operated vehicle transects were performed on 17 features throughout the Phoenix Islands and Tokelau Ridge Seamounts resulting in the observation of 12,828 deep-water corals and 167 identifiable morphospecies. Anthozoan assemblages were largely octocoral-dominated consisting of 78% of all observations with seamounts having a greater number of observed morphospecies compared to other feature types. Overlying water masses were observed to have significant effects on community assembly across bathyal depths. Revised species inventories further suggest that the protected area it is an area of biogeographic overlap for Pacific deep-water corals, containing species observed across bathyal provinces in the North Pacific, Southwest Pacific and Western Pacific. These results underscore significant geographic and environmental complexity associated with deep-sea coral communities that remain in under-characterized in the equatorial central Pacific, but also highlight the additional efforts that need to be brought forth to effectively establish baseline ecological metrics in data deficient bathyal provinces.

Observations of vulnerable marine ecosystems and significant adverse impacts on high seas seamounts of the northwestern Hawaiian Ridge and Emperor Seamount Chain

The Northwestern Hawaiian Ridge seamounts (NHR) outside the US EEZ and the Emperor Seamount Chain (ESC) have some of the longest history and largest takes of bottom contact fisheries of any seamounts globally. Imaging surveys from four of these seamounts provide evidence of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) on all surveyed features including dense patches of octocorals, scleractinian reefs, and sponges. Crinoids and brisingids occurred patchily in high abundance. These results, records from precious coral fishery takes, and habitat suitability modeling collectively indicate an extremely high probability that deep-sea coral VMEs are widespread on all of the ESC-NHR seamounts.Evidence for significant adverse impacts (SAIs) from bottom contact fisheries was also observed on all surveyed seamounts and included large areas of barren hard substrate, with scars from bottom contact gear in 19–29% of AUV images. Stumps from arborescent corals and rubble from reef-forming corals were observed. Evidence of SAIs is further supplied by many observations of coral rubble associated with lost fishing gear. Finally coralliid octocorals, once sufficiently abundant on the targeted seamounts to support the world's largest precious coral fishery, were extremely rare on all features despite the large survey area.Based on observations of VMEs, SAIs to these VMEs, and the potential for recovery, the results presented here would indicate a closure of all NHR and ESC seamounts to bottom contact fisheries until the gear being used can be proven to not cause SAIs. Closures should include both untrawled areas and currently fished areas to allow for recovery.

The lifecycle of mid-ocean ridge seamounts and their prodigious flank collapses

Volcanic seamounts are spectacular bathymetric features representing ‘undersea mountains’ comparable in size to volcanic islands. They are often sites of active volcanism, represent major marine habitats, and contain potentially globally significant commodities of trace metals. However, we know comparatively little about how they form, the extent of their volcanic lifecycle, and what risks they pose from periodic flank collapse. Here, we study a uniquely extensive 43 Myr record of volcaniclastic and calciclastic turbidites accumulated on the Madeira Abyssal Plain in the NE Atlantic, which originate from large submarine landslides from the adjacent Great Meteor-Cruiser seamount complex on the flanks of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. These turbidites present the first long-term temporal record of the recurrence, magnitude, and emplacement mechanism of seamount flank collapses from a single seamount complex throughout its lifecycle. Landslides from the Great Meteor-Cruiser seamount complex are comparable size to those from the Canary Islands, with average volumes of 30-40 km3 but can be as large as 130 km3, comparable to many volcanic island landslides. These seamount landslides were predominantly multi-stage failures similar to those form neighbouring volcanic islands, but in contrast occurred preferentially during sea-level lowstands. We show that volcanic seamounts above mantle plumes have long protracted lifecycles and that substantial flank failures are capable of occurring at all stages of development. Temporal change in turbidite composition has, for the first time, enabled reconstruction of the inception (around 43-45 Myrs ago), ascension (taking around 20-25 Myrs), emergence (after 30 Myrs) and later recession (last 9 Myrs), cessation in volcanism (last 4 Myrs) and subsidence of the seamounts (from 2 Myrs onwards). These seamounts above a mantle plume have taken around 26 Myrs to emergence above sea level from inception, while their volcanic island contemporaries only took 2-to-5 Myrs. Here, we use the history of turbidites derived from landslides from the seamounts to show how the seamounts developed and suffered mass wasting during their life cycles.

Predicted path for hotspot tracks off South America since Paleocene times: Tectonic implications of ridge-trench collision along the Andean margin

Hotspots are generated by partial melting due to hot plumes rising within the Earth's mantle, and when tectonic plates move relative to the plume source, hotspot tracks form. Off South America, the oceanic Nazca Plate hosts a large population of hotspot tracks. Examples include seamounts formed far from the Pacific-Nazca spreading center (“off-ridge” seamounts), such as the Juan Fernández Ridge (Juan Fernández hotspot), the Taltal Ridge (San Félix hotspot), and the Copiapó Ridge (Caldera hotspot). These hotspot tracks are characterized by a rough and discontinuous topography. Other examples include seamounts formed near the East Pacific Rise (EPR) (“on-ridge” seamounts), such as the Nazca Ridge (Salas y Gómez hotspot) and Easter Seamount Chain (Easter hotspot), and the Iquique Ridge (Foundation hotspot). These oceanic ridges developed a relatively smooth and broad morphology. Here, we present a plate reconstruction of these six oceanic hotspot tracks since the Paleocene, providing a kinematic model of ridge-continental margin collision. For the “off-ridge” seamount group, the plate kinematic reconstruction indicates that the collision point remained quasi-stationary from 40 to 30–25 Ma. Eventually, the southward migration of the collision point of this seamount group accelerated from 23 to 15 Ma (reaching a maxima speed of 300 km/Ma along the trench). From 15 Ma to present the collision point has remained quasi-stationary. The predicted location of the subducted portion of the Taltal, Copiapó and Juan Fernández Ridges coincides with the southward migrating (relative to South America) flat slab segment. For the “on-ridge” seamount group, the kinematic plate reconstruction indicates a continuous southward migration of the collision point from ~23 Ma, which is related to the fragmentation of the Farallon Plate. The southward migration accelerated until 15 Ma, reaching approximately 150 km/Ma. From 15 Ma to present, the southward migration has been decelerating except an increment of the migration velocity during the Chron 4 due to an increase of the convergence velocity. The migration velocity differences between the on-ridge and off-ridge hotspot tracks are mainly result from the hotspot track azimuth and the margin azimuth on the collision point. Convergence velocity varies along the trench, but it is a minor factor comparing different hotspot tracks migration velocity. Due to the EPR-plume interactions, our reconstruction suggests that the eastern Tuamotu Island Plateau formation occurred 48–27 Ma on the Easter Hotspot, which was located near to the EPR segment between the Marquesas and Austral Fracture Zones. Our model also predicts that the Iquique Ridge seamounts track is consistent with the position of the Foundation hotspot. The Foundation hotspot jumped to the Challenger (Resolution) Fracture Zone from the Farallon plate to the Pacific plate. This process triggered the cessation of the Iquique Ridge volcanic formation, and initiated volcanism at Foundation Chain in the Pacific Plate at ~25 Ma.

Effect of ENSO events on larval and juvenile duration and transport of Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica).

Spawning ground of Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) is located near the West Mariana Ridge seamount. The species travels through the North Equatorial Current (NEC) and then enters the Kuroshio Current (KC) on the migration toward East Asian growth habitats. Therefore, El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events serve as the potentially important drivers of interannual variability across the equatorial Pacific. Because the NEC bifurcation and salinity profiles are related to ENSO events, we investigated the influence of locations of the NEC bifurcation and salinity front on the success of larval entry to the KC by numerically modeling particle transport in ocean currents from 1972 to 2013 and possible effects on the size of glass eels at continental recruitment and, via otolithometry on the duration of larval migration. Circulation and hydrography used for particle tracking were obtained from the results of the Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate (MIROC) high-resolution forecasting experiment. Our results demonstrated that during El Niño years, (1) the southward movement of the salinity front might cause the larvae to experience slower currents and (2) the northward movement of the NEC bifurcation might broaden the separation between their spawning ground and NEC bifurcation, thus prolonging the time needed for the larvae to enter the KC from their spawning ground, because of which the duration of entrainment in the water column and body size increase when eels reach estuarine waters. In addition, this might cause more water to flow into the Mindanao Current (MC), leading to a decline in the rate at which larvae get entrained into the KC.

Weltneria acanthostoma sp. nov., a burrowing barnacle (Cirripedia: Acrothoracica) from the deep-waters of the South China Sea

A new deep water acrothoracican species, Weltneria acanthostoma sp. nov., has been discovered from the area of the Blue Ridge Seamount, South China Sea, at a depth of 534 m. A single female was found in a burrow in the scleractinian Madrepora oculata. This specimen is assigned to the genus Weltneria due to the possession of six pairs of cirri and two-joined caudal appendages. Weltneria acanthostoma differs from its congeners in the morphology of the slightly sinusoid opercular bars having hooked posterior processes and four or five curved, conspicuous, simple teeth, and by the absence of a calcareous formation of the attachment disk. The genus Weltneria exhibits a Tethyan relictual pattern in its geographical distribution. The diagnosis of Weltneria is based on symplesiomorphies and the genus may be a non-monophyletic taxon.

Structural variability of the Tonga-Kermadec forearc characterized using robustly constrained geophysical data

Subducting bathymetric anomalies enhance erosion of the overriding forearc crust. The deformation associated with this process is superimposed on pre-existing variable crustal and sedimentary structures developed as a subduction system evolves. Recent attempts to determine the effect and timescale of Louisville Ridge seamount subduction on the Tonga-Kermadec forearc have been limited by simplistic models of inherited overriding crustal structure that neglect along-strike variability. Synthesis of new robustly tested seismic velocity and density models with existing datasets from the region, highlight along-strike variations in the structure of the Tonga-Kermadec subducting and overriding plates. As the subducting plate undergoes bend-faulting and hydration throughout the trench-outer rise region, observed oceanic upper- and mid-crustal velocities are reduced by ∼1.0 km s−1 and upper mantle velocities by ∼0.5 km s−1. In the vicinity of the Louisville Ridge Seamount Chain (LRSC), the trench shallows by 4 km and normal fault throw is reduced by > 1 km, suggesting that the subduction of seamounts reduces plate deformation. We find that the extinct Eocene frontal arc, defined by a high velocity (7.0–7.4 km s−1) and density (3.2 g cm−3) lower-crustal anomaly, increases in thickness by ∼6 km, from 12 to > 18 km, over 300 km laterally along the Tonga-Kermadec forearc. Coincident variations in bathymetry and free-air gravity anomaly indicate a regional trend of northward-increasing crustal thickness that predates LRSC subduction, and highlight the present-day extent of the Eocene arc between 32° S and ∼18° S. Within this framework of existing forearc crustal structure, the subduction of seamounts of the LRSC promotes erosion of the overriding crust, forming steep, gravitationally unstable, lower-trench slopes. Trench-slope stability is most likely re-established by the collapse of the mid-trench slope and the trenchward side of the extinct Eocene arc, which, within the framework of forearc characterisation, implies seamount subduction commenced at ∼22° S.

Early epipelagic life-history characteristics of the North Pacific armorhead Pentaceros wheeleri

North Pacific armorhead Pentaceros wheeleri specimens collected through pelagic surveys in the North Pacific were analyzed to estimate the distribution, hatching season, growth, and the duration of the epipelagic life stage. Most pelagic specimens were collected in the central and eastern North Pacific (36–50°N, 178°E–137°W). This area was considered to be the nursery ground where larvae and juveniles inhabit until subsequent settlement to seamounts. The pelagic specimens were aged 0, 1, and 2 years, and their hatching periods were estimated to be from December to February based on the analysis of daily growth increments of otoliths. Standard length-at-age data were fitted to the mixed model of the von Bertalanffy growth curves, and growth coefficients L ∞, k, and t 0 were estimated to be 308 and 290 mm, 0.909 and 1.055, and 0.183 and 0.256 years for males and females, respectively. The standard length of fish at age 2.5 years was estimated at 263–271 mm, which is close to the size of demersal fish commonly harvested from the southern Emperor-northern Hawaiian Ridge seamounts. Since only a few age 3 fish were collected in pelagic samples, presumably most individuals shift to demersal life on seamounts before age 3.