Marine Geology Research Articles

Discussion on Types and Genetic Mechanism of Marine Geological Hazards

Discussion on Types and Genetic Mechanism of Marine Geological Hazards

Keeping Track of Samples in Multidisciplinary Fieldwork

We here present methods, tools and results for efficiently collecting metadata and tracking samples collected in the field. The samples and metadata were collected during scientific cruises conducted by amongst others marine biologists, oceanographers, geochemists and marine geologists in the Nansen Legacy project. It is here reported on the successful development and implementation of a system for labeling, tracking and openly publishing metadata from the cruises. The results and tools have been made openly available, as they are suitable for a range of situations, from the individual scientist working in the field to large research missions.

Geological Oceanography of the Pliocene Warm Period: A Review with Predictions on the Future of Global Warming

Atmospheric carbon dioxide reached a record concentration of 419 parts per million in May 2021, 50% higher than preindustrial levels at 280 parts per million. The rise of CO2 as a heat-trapping gas is the principal barometer tracking global warming attributed to a global average increase of 1.2 °C over the last 250 years. Ongoing global warming is expected to perturb extreme weather events such as tropical cyclones (hurricanes/typhoons), strengthened by elevated sea-surface temperatures. The melting of polar ice caps in Antarctica and Greenland also is expected to result in rising sea levels through the rest of this century. Various proxies for the estimate of long-term change in sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) are available through geological oceanography, which relies on the recovery of deep-sea cores for the study of sediments enriched in temperature-sensitive planktonic foraminifera and other algal residues. The Pliocene Warm Period occurred between ~4.5 and 3.0 million years ago, when sea level and average global temperatures were higher than today, and it is widely regarded as a predictive analog to the future impact of climate change. This work reviews some of the extensive literature on the geological oceanography of the Pliocene Warm Period together with a summary of land-based studies in paleotempestology focused on coastal boulder deposits (CBDs) and coastal outwash deposits (CODs) from the margin of the Pacific basin and parts of the North Atlantic basin. Ranging in age from the Pliocene through the Holocene, the values of such deposits serve as fixed geophysical markers, against which the micro-fossil record for the Pliocene Warm Period may be compared, as a registry of storm events from Pliocene and post-Pliocene times.

Analysis of Abundance and Origin Possibility of Planktonic Foraminifera in Sulawesi Sea

Foraminifera is very diverse and adaptive, both in its morphology and biology. It is a potential bioindicator to understand the ecological and physical conditions of the ancient and modern waters based on their distribution. It has been well confirmed that the abundance of foraminifera (as a fossil) in sediment can reflect the ocean conditions above (mixed layer to upper ocean) where it was deposited. Planktonic foraminifera however can be considered as passive particles, their movement is carried by ocean currents. In consequence, the foraminifera abundance may represent more wider ocean condition according to the ocean current pattern. This study aims to examine the role of ocean currents in the distribution of foraminifera in the Sulawesi Sea. Ten gravity core sediment samples from 73-3009 m water depth were retrieved by RV Geomarin III from the Marine Geological Institute, Indonesia. We conducted quantitative analysis, including calculation of abundance and cluster analysis. Two decades (1992-2012) of ocean current simulated data from the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) is used in this analysis, extending from 115°E-140°E and 8°N-2°S. The result indicates that planktonic foraminifera is abundant in the Sulawesi Sea by 86.3%. There were several predominant planktonic species such as Globigerinoides ruber (22.6%), Globigerina bulloides (15.3%), and Neoglobuquadrina dutertrei (10.1%). The ocean current above the sample location is constantly moving eastward as a part of the NECC. The average currents velocity shows that foraminifera in sample site S-03 with depth 2064 m may originated from up to 1035 kilometers away from its recent location.

Biodiversity of Bivalves in South Bintan Waters, Riau Archipelago, Indonesia

Bivalves is the second most diverse group of molluscs after gastropods, they are also one of the most important members in marine ecosystems. Their taxonomic classifications are based on their morphology which tend to represent adaptation responses to ecology. The samples of bivalves examined in this study were taken in the South Bintan waters by Marine Geological Research and Development Center, Bandung. Identification of the bivalves shell samples was with the aid of a microscope and NIS-Elements software and identified using an identification book. There were 34 species of bivalves found in South Bintan Waters belong to 14 families. The highest abundance was in Station 1 the location close to the overflow of the river and a harbor (1162.5 ind.m-2) and the lowest was in Station 10 the location Station 10 the location close to a small island which is usually used as a tourist spot (62.5 ind.m-2). Their diversity and eveness index were included in the medium category with H’ value of 0.58-4.12 and e value of 0.11-0.89 respectively. There was species dominance in Station 3 (Liralucina lyngei of Lucinidae) and 10 (Cardites bicolor of Carditidae) but not in other stations. Both species was the most frequent species. Bivalves in South Bintan waters showed many different morphologies which represented their adaptation. The bivalve shells found were of different morphology. There are several forms of bivalve shell morphology that have shape round like species Chama japonica, triangular like species Gemma gemma, fragile like species Dendostrea rosacea. The shell decorations found in the bintan Bivalves samples are Spinose, Commarginally, Commarginally and radially ribbed. The hinge teeth are heteroodont, isodont, and schizodont.

Occurrence of anomalies in soil radon volume activity before tectonic earthquakes

Research subject. Earthquakes are a global problem for the entire world population. Therefore, a search for ways to predict and prevent tectonic events is a highly relevant task. Despite the existence of controversial opinions on the possibility of predicting tectonic earthquakes, research in this direction continues. Among numerous possible precursors of earthquakes, anomalies in the volume radon activity (VRA) are the most physically justifed ones. The aim of this research was to compare the observed anomalies of soil radon with the recorded seismic events in order to fnd common patterns. The research area was the Kuril Islands. VRA monitoring was conducted at the South Kuril Geophysical Station of the Institute of Marine Geology and Geophysics of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.Methods and materials. Measurements were carried out in the advective mode: soil air from a depth of 70 cm was forcibly delivered to the detector using a pump. For a retrospective analysis, we took registered seismic events with a magnitude greater than 4 that occurred within a radius of 500 km from the monitoring station in Yuzhno-Kurilsk during 2011–2018. Statistical data were processed using Microsoft Excel, Statistica software. Results. A method for comparing radon anomalies and earthquakes was developed. Using the developed methodology, it was found that the geodynamic criterion of ≥2 (the ratio of earthquake magnitude to logarithm of distance from event epicenter to the monitoring station in km) can be used when comparing VRA anomalies with tectonic earthquakes. Out of the 166 considered tectonic earthquakes meeting the geodynamic criterion of ≥2.148, the events were preceded by VRA anomalies. The position of the earthquakes was determined relative to the extremum of previous anomalous radon values in the time interval. Eac of the considered earthquakes meeting the geodynamic criterion ≥2, which had been preceded by a radon anomaly, occurred either after its extremum or coincided with it in time. Conclusions. The manifestation of tectonic earthquakes in VRA anomalies after passing the extremum can be considered as a short-term prognostic criterion and be used for distinguishing between “near” and “far” events.

The Depositional Environments in the Cilento Offshore (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) Based on Marine Geological Data

The depositional environments offshore of the Cilento Promontory have been reconstructed based on the geological studies performed in the frame of the marine geological mapping of the geological sheet n. 502 “Agropoli”. The littoral environment (toe-of-coastal cliff deposits and submerged beach deposits), the inner continental shelf environment (inner shelf deposits and bioclastic deposits), the outer continental shelf environment (outer shelf deposits and bioclastic deposits), the lowstand system tract and the Pleistocene relict marine units have been singled out. The littoral, inner shelf and outer shelf environments have been interpreted as the highstand system tract of the Late Quaternary depositional sequence. This sequence overlies the Cenozoic substratum (ssi unit), composed of Cenozoic siliciclastic rocks, genetically related with the Cilento Flysch. On the inner shelf four main seismo-stratigraphic units, overlying the undifferentiated acoustic basement have been recognized based on the geological interpretation of seismic profiles. On the outer shelf, palimpsest deposits of emerged to submerged beach and forming elongated dunes have been recognized on sub-bottom profiles and calibrated with gravity core data collected in previous papers. The sedimentological analysis of sea bottom samples has shown the occurrence of several grain sizes occurring in this portion of the Cilento offshore.

Admiral Ushakov Maritime State University

THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE “MARINE GEOLOGY & ENGINEERING -2021” МGE-2021 10-11 September 2021 On the basis of submitted works at the Conference, 25 selected peer reviewed papers have been included in this volume of IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. Novorossiysk, Russia International Conference on “Marine Geology and Engineering” (MGE-2021) was held on 10-11 September 2021 by Admiral Ushakov Maritime State University, Russia. The Conference was dedicated to the 45th anniversary of the University (https://aumsu.ru). Admiral Ushakov Maritime State University is the only large educational institution of water transport in the South of Russia, which graduates maritime specialists for shipping companies, shipbuilding and ship repair plants, water transport enterprises, ports and transport terminals.The aim of the МGE-2021 Conference was to share the results and prospects of achievements in advanced scientific research in engineering systems, complexes and technologies for processing the results of applied research, engineering solutions in the development of the world ocean, environmental ecology and human activities in the world ocean.List of Committee are available in this pdf.

THE ENERGY POTENTIAL OF BLACK SEA IN ROMANIAN SEASIDE AREA

The Black Sea is considered a relatively calm sea, the optimal choice for the capture process is influenced by the wave regime and its peculiarities. This sea is characterized by winds that blow towards land with greater intensity in January causing the sea to be more agitated and with less power in May, June and July, when the sea was the calmest of the year. It should be noted that the frequency of strong winds is 38%, and of those of low speed of 1m/s of only 1.5%. For the collection of oceanographic and meteorological information, data provided by the Gloria platform located in front of Romania’s coast were is used, as well as records from the three offshore buoys anchored in the Romanian seaside area and which are part of the EMSO EUXINUS research infrastructure managed by National Institute for Research and Development on Marine Geology and Geoecology - GeoEcoMar. In addition, free data such as those provided by the site of the research institute Grigore Antipa were easily accessed. Presently there are three fixed platforms in the Black Sea. Wave energy is underexploited, both worldwide and in the Black Sea. The potential of this type of energy is huge, and the environmental impact is low compared to other renewable energy technologies.

Earth System Model Analysis of How Astronomical Forcing Is Imprinted Onto the Marine Geological Record: The Role of the Inorganic (Carbonate) Carbon Cycle and Feedbacks.

Astronomical cycles are strongly expressed in marine geological records, providing important insights into Earth system dynamics and an invaluable means of constructing age models. However, how various astronomical periods are filtered by the Earth system and the mechanisms by which carbon reservoirs and climate components respond, particularly in absence of dynamic ice sheets, is unclear. Using an Earth system model that includes feedbacks between climate, ocean circulation, and inorganic (carbonate) carbon cycling relevant to geological timescales, we systematically explore the impact of astronomically modulated insolation forcing and its expression in model variables most comparable to key paleoceanographic proxies (temperature, the δ13C of inorganic carbon, and sedimentary carbonate content). Temperature predominately responds to short and long eccentricity and is little influenced by the modeled carbon cycle feedbacks. In contrast, the cycling of nutrients and carbon in the ocean generates significant precession power in atmospheric CO2, benthic ocean δ13C, and sedimentary wt% CaCO3, while inclusion of marine sedimentary and weathering processes shifts power to the long eccentricity period. Our simulations produce reduced pCO2 and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) δ13C at long eccentricity maxima and, contrary to early Cenozoic marine records, CaCO3 preservation in the model is enhanced during eccentricity‐modulated warmth. Additionally, the magnitude of δ13C variability simulated in our model underestimates marine proxy records. These model‐data discrepancies hint at the possibility that the Paleogene silicate weathering feedback was weaker than modeled here and that additional organic carbon cycle feedbacks are necessary to explain the full response of the Earth system to astronomical forcing.

The Phlegrean Fields volcanological evolution

ABSTRACT A volcanological map merging continental and marine areas of the Phlegrean Fields and Procida Island (Southern Italy) is presented at the 1:25,000 scale. The map is based on 1:5,000 field mapping, and marine geology survey carried out during the Italian CAR.G (Geological CARtography, Servizio Geologico d’Italia) project and on bathymetric and seismic data. Geological data are represented on a digital terrain model of the volcano. This allows better visualization of the main morphological, volcanic, and geological features. The legend is organized in seven activity phases identified based on updated absolute ages of eruptions defining periods of high volcanicity and stasis. The geological map highlights the evolutive history of the Phlegrean Fields volcanic field both in the marine and continental portions, and the reconstructed structural framework and evolution of the caldera formed 39.3 Ky ago in its continental and submerged portions.

Response to: Comment on “New simulations and understanding of the 1908 Messina tsunami for a dual seismic and deep submarine mass failure source” by L. Schambach, S.T. Grilli, D.R. Tappin, M.D. Gangemi, G. Barbaro [Marine Geology 421 (2020) 106093

In this response, we address and refute the comments made by Argnani (2021) on our 1908 Messina tsunami paper (Schambach et al., 2020), regarding the poor geological constraints underpinning the numerical tsunami modeling. Earthquake mechanisms can be constructed from ‘geology’, but because ruptures are usually blind, seabed evidence may be absent. Alternatively, with small magnitude earthquakes, such as Messina 1908, the small vertical displacements may not be resolved on seismic or multibeam echosounder bathymetric records, because of the relatively low frequencies of the recording equipment. Hence, for earthquake tsunami, seismological data may be more appropriate as the basis for numerical modeling. With regard to submarine mass failure, when interpreting seismic and bathymetry data, the frequency content should again be carefully considered, because smaller features may not be resolved. Regarding the 1908 tsunami, the Mw 7.1 earthquake magnitude would not be expected to generate the recorded tsunami runups for the 5 sources we modeled, as is proved from our modeling; this would also be the case for the Barreca et al. (2021) source proposed in the discussion. Combined with any of these earthquake sources, the submarine mass failure we identified and mapped, however, in large part does. The evidence most critical to the age dating of our identified SMF, presented as too old in the discussion, is that: (i) it is at the location predicted by the inverse wave ray tracing based on tsunami arrival observations; and (ii) upon forward modeling, this tsunami mechanism generates the onland tsunami record.

Comment on “New simulations and understanding of the 1908 Messina tsunami for a dual seismic and deep submarine mass failure source” by L. Schambach, S.T. Grilli, D.R. Tappin, M.D. Gangemi, G. Barbaro [Marine Geology 421 (2020) 106093

In their paper Schambach et al. (2020) present a dual (seismic and landslide source) modelling of the 1908 Messina tsunami. Their contribution highlights the fact that a multiple source is required to model the 1908 tsunami event. However, both the seismogenic fault and the submarine mass failure adopted by Schambach et al. are geologically poorly constrained. Dual-source modelling can satisfactorily fit to observations but the source components should be based on geological ground. Various authors have explored the contribution of submarine landslides into the 1908 tsunami generation; it could also be of interest, however, to consider the possible tsunamigenic contribution of secondary faults.

Amplitude Recovery and Deconvolution of Chirp and Boomer Data for Marine Geology and Offshore Engineering

The processing of Chirp data is limited by the usual recording of the signal envelope, which enhances its immediate visibility but prevents applying methods based on wave equations. This is normally not the case for Boomer data. However, both systems are monochannel instruments, which cannot estimate properly the propagation velocity of the signal in the rocks. In this paper, we present two theorems: the first one links the Chirp or Boomer source spectrum with an expected amplitude decay curve; the second one defines conditions for the deconvolution stability of the enveloped Boomer signal when the full waveform of the source signal is known. In this way, we can jointly process and integrate heterogeneous surveys including both data types. We validated the proposed algorithms by applying them to synthetic and real data. The presented tools can improve the image resolution and the characterization of geological formations in marine surveys by reflectivity anomalies, which are distorted by standard equalization methods.

Geological features for the formation of gas-geochemical fields, including helium and hydrogen, in the water and sediments at the Vietnamese part of the South-China Sea

The paper presents the results of a complex joint Russian-Vietnamese geological, geophysical and oceanographic expedition in the South-China Sea (R/V “Akademik M.A. Lavrentyev”, cruise 88, 2019), as well as related joint Russian-Vietnamese marine and land researches in the area of north and south Vietnam under a series of local FEB RAS – VAST grants. The organizers of the marine expedition are the V. I. Ilyichev Pacific Oceanological Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (POI FEB RAS) and the Institute of Marine Geology and Geophysics of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (IMGG VAST). In comparison with the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk, it can be noted that the active bottom degassing on the on the Vietnamese shelf and slope have is a local, although the intensity of gas-geochemical anomalies is comparable to similar zones in the Far Eastern Seas. For the first time, anomalous methane fields (up to 5000 nl/l) were found in the water column of the South-China Sea, which are comparable to anomalies on the oil and gas shelf and the gas-hydrate-bearing slope of Sakhalin Island. Metamorphosed sedimentary and volcanic rocks were discovered for the first time in the southern part of Catba Island (Gulf of Tonkin), which indicates the introduction of an endogenous body into the sedimentary strata and its further transformation. In connection with the discovery in 2020 of the large Ken Bau gas field at the southern end of the sedimentary basin of the Red River, the forecast of POI scientists about the presence of significant hydrocarbon reserves in this area was confirmed. The work was carried out within the framework of the joint Vietnam-Russia Laboratory for Marine Sciences and Technology (V. I. Ilyichev Pacific Oceanological Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Marine Geology and Geophysics Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology). The expedition of the R/V “Akademik M.A. Lavrentyev” (cruise 88) is part of a series of expeditions in accordance with the UN Decade dedicated to the Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

The History of Ocean Oxygenation.

The large-scale dynamics of ocean oxygenation have changed dramatically throughout Earth's history, in step with major changes in the abundance of O2 in the atmosphere and changes to marine nutrient availability. A comprehensive mechanistic understanding of this history requires insights from oceanography, marine geology, geochemistry, geomicrobiology, evolutionary ecology, and Earth system modeling. Here, we attempt to synthesize the major features of evolving ocean oxygenation on Earth through more than 3 billion years of planetary history. We review the fundamental first-order controls on ocean oxygen distribution and summarize the current understanding of the history of ocean oxygenation on Earth from empirical and theoretical perspectives-integrating geochemical reconstructions of oceanic and atmospheric chemistry, genomic constraints on evolving microbial metabolism, and mechanistic biogeochemical models. These changes are used to illustrate primary regimes of large-scale ocean oxygenation and to highlight feedbacks that can act to stabilize and destabilize the ocean-atmosphere system in anoxic, low-oxygen, and high-oxygen states.

New method for the reconstruction of sedimentary systems including lithofacies, environments, and flow paths: A case study of the Xisha Trough Basin, South China Sea

Existing seismic facies analysis schemes, including traditional seismic facies analysis, seismic slice analysis, and automatic classification of seismic facies, can reconstruct the sedimentary systems of basins; however, they are not ideal for basins with few boreholes and many rock types. Herein, we propose a new method for reconstructing sedimentary systems using seismic data, considering the Xisha Trough Basin in the Northern South China Sea as the research object to demonstrate the principles, methods, and technologies of this novel scheme. Based on the six commonly used seismic parameters, three additional seismic parameters (smoothness, neatness, and special waveform) and one geological marker (provenance) were added to improve the recognition of lithofacies. The scanned seismic interpretation technique was used to describe the distribution of sandstone and other skeleton lithofacies; sedimentary environments were determined according to the coastline, shelf break line, and slope toe line; flow path systems were determined according to the paleotopography, incised valleys, and sandstone distribution; and the sedimentary systems of the trough basin were reconstructed through the superposition of skeleton lithofacies, depositional environments, and flow paths. Results show that the sedimentary system reconstructed using the new method contains three elements, namely, lithofacies, the environment, and flow path, which fully reflect the concept of the sedimentary system defined by Fisher and McGowen (1967) ; this overcomes the inherent defects of previous schemes, such as poor lithofacies recognition and the uncertainty of types and boundaries of sedimentary bodies. This method enabled identifying subdivided seismic lithofacies directly from seismic profiles and enhanced the ability to obtain sedimentary information from seismic data. The proposed reconstruction method can be used in areas without boreholes or with many rock types and is significant for marine geology research and oil and gas exploration conducted in the deep sea.

Reply to comment on, “Sediment budget and morphological change in the Red River Delta under increasing human interferences” by N.D. Ve, D. Fan, B.V. Vuong and T.D. Lan [Marine Geology 431 (2021), 106,379

Anh (2021) asserts that the sediment budget model by Ve et al. (2021) of the subaqueous Red River Delta (RRD) is inaccurate because of some fundamental flaws in the DEM analysis and budget estimation. In fact, bathymetric data from the two earliest charts have been validated with data from a survey carried out over a short time span (1927–1930) and a linear semi-variogram model used to do the kriging interpolation. Different grid cell sizes have a negligible effect on the DEM analysis, and the effect of relative sea-level rise has been ruled out by normalization of bathymetrical data from sequential charts to a common tidal datum. Furthermore, the estimation of the amount of deposited sediment on tidal flats is correct, although a typo of sediment volume unfortunately yielded a wrong value. We can thus confirm that the data in the sediment budget model of Ve et al. (2021) are reliable.The sediment budget model can be improved by full consideration of sediment from source to sink processes as suggested by Anh (2021). We therefore refine the model by considering river bedload and sand mining in the RRD in the sediment input item, and separate the subtidal RRD into three subzones to calculate their average depositional/erosional sediment volume and mass. In the revisited model, a total of 54.7 Mt./yr is inferred to be deposited in the subaqueous RRD from the intertidal flats to the delta-front slope, of which 75.3% and 24.7% are conceivably sourced by the Red River and eroded from the prodelta and offshore shelf, respectively. However, the controlling mechanism of secular erosion at the prodelta and offshore shelf is so far not well known, and this will need to be investigated in the future.

BIOGENIC SILICA SEDIMENTATION ON THE SHELF AND CONTINENTAL SLOPE OF THE BLACK SEA

Investigation of the marine sediments processes, regularities of their accumulation in the inland seas is one of the main tasks of marine geology and sedimentology. Biogenic sedimentation is extremely important in the general sediment deposition cycle in the Black Sea basin. This article provides an overview of the literature and analysis of our own research of the distribution of biogenic siliceous deposits in Holocene bottom sediments on the shelf and continental slope of the Black Sea. The composition and conditions of biosilicates formation, their relationship with coccolithic silts and sapropels in sedimentary strata, sources and forms of siliceous biogenic matter input, the dynamics of transformation of modern bottom sediments, as well as the influence of various environmental factors on the process of sedimentary accumulation of silica in the Black Sea basin in the late quarter are considered. The relevance of the topic is caused by insufficient coverage of a number of issues regarding the sources of mobilization and the nature of material input, the features of the origin and deposition of silicate biogenic matter in the basin, paleogeoecological factors that influenced on sedimentogenesis in the late Quarter. The study of the formation processes of modern bottom sediments in a wide range of facies conditions is of undoubted practical importance for diverse geological, sedimentological and facies research, both fundamental and applied, related to prospecting, exploration and exploitation of minerals, as well as for using the results obtained in the development of marine water area.

TO THE BLESSED MEMORY OF OLEKSIY MYTROPOLSKYI, THE OUTSTANDING RESEARCHER AND MEMBER OF NUMEROUS SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITIONS

The article is devoted to Oleksiy Mytropolskyi, one of the founders of the Ukrainian school of Marine geology; a scientist and researcher in the field of marine geology, geochemistry and geoecology, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Professor, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Founder and Leader of the Department of Modern Marine Sedimentogenesis, Deputy Director of Institute of Geological Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.