Arthur Ayres Neto

Geoacoustic character, sedimentology and chronology of a cross-shelf Holocene sediment deposit off Cabo Frio, Brazil (southwest Atlantic Ocean)

The Cabo Frio region in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeast coast of Brazil, is characterized by a local coastal upwelling system and converging littoral sediment transport systems that are deflected offshore at Cabo Frio, as a consequence of which a thick cross-shelf sediment deposit has developed over time. To investigate the evolution of this muddy deposit, geophysical, sedimentological and geochemical data from four sediment cores (3.8–4.1 m in length) recovered in water depths between 88 and 141 m were analyzed. The high-resolution seismic data show variable sediment thicknesses ranging from 1 to 20 m, comprising two sedimentary units separated by a high-impedance layer at a depth of about 10 m below the seafloor at the coring sites. According to the available age datings, the upper sedimentary unit is late Pleistocene to Holocene in age, whereas the lower unit (not dated) must, by implication, be entirely Pleistocene in age. The boomer-seismic reflection signal can be divided into three echo-types, namely transparent (inner shelf), stratified (middle shelf) and reflective (outer shelf), each type seemingly related to the local sediment composition. The upper 4 m of the upper sedimentary unit is dominated by silty sediment on the middle shelf, and by upward-fining sediments (silty sand to sandy silt) on the inner and outer shelf. The downcore trends of P-wave velocity, gamma-ray density and acoustic impedance are largely similar, but generally reversed to those of water and organic carbon contents. Total organic carbon contents increase with decreasing mean grain size, periodic fluctuations suggesting temporal changes in the regional hydrodynamics and primary productivity fuelled by the local upwelling system. The reconstruction of sedimentation rates in the course of the Holocene is based on 35 AMS age datings of organic material recovered from variable downcore depths. These range from a maximum of 13.3 cm/decade near the base of the inner shelf core (7.73–7.70 ka BP) to generally very low values (<0.11 cm/century) over the last thousand years in all cores. Over the last 6 ka there appear to have been three distinct sedimentation peaks, one between 6 and 5 ka BP, another between 4 and 3 ka PB, and one around 1 ka BP. Due to different time intervals between dates, not every peak is equally well resolved in all four cores. Based on the similar sedimentology of the inner and outer shelf cores, an essentially identical sedimentation model is proposed to have been active in both cases, albeit at different times. Thus, already during the last glacial maximum, alongshore sediment transport was deflected offshore by a change in shoreline orientation caused by the Cabo Frio structural high. The source of terrigenous material was probably a barrier-island complex that was subsequently displaced landward in the course of sea-level rise until it stabilized some 6.5 ka BP along the modern coast.

Geotechnical Influence on the Acoustic Properties of Marine Sediments of the Santos Basin, Brazil

There are several problems associated with core location and sediment deformation during the coring procedure. Geophysical investigation of the seafloor using acoustic systems, such as high-resolution seismic and single-beam sediment classification, provides a very cost-effective evaluation on the distribution of sedimentary environments. The present study investigates the relationship between acoustic impedance and geotechnical properties of shallow marine sediments from the Santos Basin, Brazil. A total of eight cores from different geological settings were collected and measurements of P-wave velocity (Vp), gamma density, mean grain size, void ratio, water content and shear strength were conducted. The results show that, despite different trends according to the sedimentary environment, the acoustic impedance correlates very well with all geotechnical parameters analyzed.

Parâmetros físicos de sedimentos marinhos superficiais da região costeira de Caravelas, Sul da Bahia

This research combines geological data obtained from core samples and geophysical properties in order to investigate how geological and sedimentological parameters affect the velocity of P-waves in near surface marine sediments, The velocity of P-waves (Vp), gamma density, acoustic impedance and magnetic susceptibility were correlated with core geology of four core of the coastal region of Caravelas, Bahia State. Geophysical properties were acquired using the MSCL (MultiSensor Core Logger). Core were opened and described according to grain size, color, compaction degree. Eight different kinds of sediments were recognized: shell, coarse to very coarse sand, medium sand, fine to very fine sand, sandy mud, compact mud, fluid mud, and very fluid mud. The results showed that, in general, the highest values of Vp and density and the lowest values of magnetic susceptibility are related to the coarser sediments. Very coarse sediments and shells showed erratic values basically due to the low compaction of these materials. The acoustic impedance and reflection coefficient profiles were useful to detect sediments interface. More detailed grain size analysis were conducted at the sandy mud section of core JP-112 and corroborated the relationship between Vp and grain size.

Seismic peak amplitude as a predictor of TOC content in shallow marine sediments

Acoustic remote sensing is a highly effective tool for exploring the seafloor of both deep and shallow marine settings. Indeed, the acoustic response depends on several physicochemical factors such as sediment grain size, bulk density, water content, and mineralogy. The objective of the present study is to assess the suitability of seismic peak amplitude as a predictor of total organic carbon (TOC) content in shallow marine sediments, based on data collected in the Cabo Frio mud belt in an upwelling zone off southeastern Brazil. These comprise records of P-wave velocity (VP) along 680 km of high-resolution single-channel seismic surveys, combined with analyses of grain size, wet bulk density, absolute water content and TOC content for four piston-cores. TOC contents of sediments from 13 box-cores served to validate the methodology. The results show well-defined positive correlations between TOC content and mean grain size (phi scale) as well as absolute water content, and negative correlations with VP, wet bulk density, and acoustic impedance. These relationships yield a regression equation by which TOC content can be satisfactorily predicted on the basis of acoustic impedance for this region: y = − 4.84 ln(x) + 40.04. Indeed, the derived TOC contents differ by only 5% from those determined by geochemical analysis. After appropriate calibration, acoustic impedance can thus be conveniently used as a predictor of large-scale spatial distributions of organic carbon enrichment in marine sediments. This not only contributes to optimizing scientific project objectives, but also enhances the cost-effectiveness of marine surveys by greatly reducing the ship time commonly required for grid sampling.

Waterfall notch-filtering for restoration of acoustic backscatter records from Admiralty Bay, Antarctica

A series of multibeam sonar surveys were conducted from 2009 to 2013 around Admiralty Bay, Shetland Islands, Antarctica. These surveys provided a detailed bathymetric model that helped understand and characterize the bottom geology of this remote area. Unfortunately, the acoustic backscatter records registered during these bathymetric surveys were heavily contaminated with noise and motion artifacts. These artifacts persisted in the backscatter records despite the fact that the proper acquisition geometry and the necessary offsets and delays were applied during the survey and in post-processing. These noisy backscatter records were very difficult to interpret and to correlate with gravity-core samples acquired in the same area. In order to address this issue, a directional notch-filter was applied to the backscatter waterfall in the along-track direction. The proposed filter provided better estimates for the backscatter strength of each sample by considerably reducing residual motion artifacts. The restoration of individual samples was possible since the waterfall frame of reference preserves the acquisition geometry. Then, a remote seafloor characterization procedure based on an acoustic model inversion was applied to the restored backscatter samples, generating remote estimates of acoustic impedance. These remote estimates were compared to Multi Sensor Core Logger measurements of acoustic impedance obtained from gravity core samples. The remote estimates and the Core Logger measurements of acoustic impedance were comparable when the shallow seafloor was homogeneous. The proposed waterfall notch-filtering approach can be applied to any sonar record, provided that we know the system ping-rate and sampling frequency.

MORPHOLOGICAL AND SEDIMENTARY CHARACTERIZATION THROUGH ANALYSIS OF MULTIBEAM DATA AT DECEPTION ISLAND, ANTARCTIC

ABSTRACT. Multibeam sonar systems have transformed the area of underwater geoacoustics and present an important tool for seabed characterization. This work aims to demonstrate the processing and interpretation of multibeam bathymetric data, supported by geological samples collected in the area of Deception Island, South Shetland Islands – Antarctic... Keywords: bathymetry, seabed, marine geology, underwater geoacoustic. RESUMO. Sonares multifeixe tem transformado a area de geoacustica submarina e se apresentado como uma ferramenta importante para a caracterizacao do fundo marinho... Palavras-chave: batimetria, fundo marinho, geologia marinha, geoacustica submarina.

CARACTERIZAC ¸ ˜ AO DE ECOF ´ ACIES NA MARGEM CONTINENTAL NORTE BRASILEIRA - ESTADO DO CONHECIMENTO

The present work describes the results from the compilation of geological and geophysical data, associated to the acquisition of new high-resolution seismic data, in order to identify the actual knowledge about the geology of the northern Brazilian continental margin. The results show that the known superficial distribution of sediments does not reflect the diversity of echo-characters observed on sub-bottom profiler data, suggesting that these are also sensitive to the geological processes acting during sedimentation.