Oleg Khlystov

Paleomagnetic record from Academician Ridge, Lake Baikal: a reversal excursion at the base of marine oxygen isotope stage 6

Abstract Paleomagnetic and rock-magnetic studies on a hydraulic piston core (Ver98-1, St.6) from Academician Ridge, Lake Baikal showed the occurrence of a reversal excursion at 670–696 cm depth, which is at the base of marine oxygen isotope stage 6. A correlation of X-ray CT values, as a proxy of relative density, to the marine oxygen isotope record provides an age of 177–183 ka for this reversal excursion. It can be correlated with other excursion records from Lake Baikal, found in Core 287-K2 from Academician Ridge [King et al., Russ. Geol. Geophys. 34 (1993) 148–162] and in core BDP93-1 drilled on the Buguldeika saddle [BDP-93, Quat. Int. 37 (1997) 3–17]. We correlate the Lake Baikal reversal excursion with a well documented excursion in the Brunhes Chron, the Iceland Basin event (186–189 ka) from ODP Sites 983 and 984 in the North Atlantic [Channell, J. Geophys. Res. 104 (1999) 22937–22951]. Also the relative paleointensity record agrees well with that from ODP Site 983 [Channell, J. Geophys. Res. 104 (1999) 22937–22951]. The Lake Baikal excursion and the Iceland Basin event correspond to the minimum of relative intensity at 188 ka in Sint-800 [Guyodo and Valet, Nature 399 (1999) 249–252]. We argue that it is distinct from the Jamaica/Pringle Falls excursion, estimated at 205–215 ka [Langereis et al., Geophys. J. Int. 129 (1997) 75–94]. This is supported by the recalibration of the age of another excursion found in Core St.16 in Lake Baikal [Sakai et al., Bull. Nagoya Univ. Furukawa Mus. 13 (1997) 11–22] with an age of ∼223 ka, which is close to the age of the Jamaica/Pringle Falls excursion, as suggested earlier [King et al., Russ. Geol. Geophys. 34 (1993) 148–162]. The VGP path of the reversal excursion (177–183 ka) consists of a southward swing through the North Atlantic, followed by a loop through Africa and the Indian Ocean. The path morphology is similar to that of the Iceland Basin event from the North Atlantic [Channell, J. Geophys. Res. 104 (1999) 22937–22951].

Abrupt increase in precipitation and weathering of soils in East Siberia coincident with the end of the last glaciation (15 cal kyr BP)

Abstract An abrupt increase in the temperature in Greenland in the wake of the initiation of the Bolling–Allerod warm phase at ca. 15 cal kyr BP was followed after a few decades by a dramatic increase in the concentration of methane in the atmosphere of the Earth resulting from an increase in humidity in the tropics [J.P. Severinghaus, E.J. Brook, Science 286 (1999) 930–934]. Analysis of a sediment core from Lake Baikal (East Siberia), spanning the end of the last glacial period and the Holocene, revealed an abrupt, stepwise, 1.3–3.4-fold decrease in the concentration of several ‘soluble’ elements such as Na, K, Mg, Ca and Si in hot nitric acid extracts of small intervals (3 cm). This chemical change appears to have occurred over the same time span, based on similarities in the profiles of silica and diatoms found in other 14 C-dated cores. This suggests that the calcium-rich ‘mammoth steppe’ landscape [R.D. Guthrie, Quat. Sci. Rev. 20 (2001) 549–573] of Siberia created during the last glaciation underwent a dramatic transformation at the end of this period (at the beginning of the Bolling–Allerod warm phase) due to an increase in precipitation within a time interval of less than 300 yr.

Hydrate‐bearing structures in the Sea of Okhotsk

Gas hydrates are natural gas reservoirs in ice-like crystalline solids, and are stable in pore spaces of submarine sediments in water depths greater than about 300–500 m. They have been recovered in many of the worlds oceans, both at larger sub-bottom depths (up to 450 m) by drilling and near the seafloor in shallow cores by gravity-coring. In the latter case, the gas hydrates are related to the sites of enhanced seepage such as cold seeps and mud volcanoes [Ginsburg and Soloviev, 1998]. Multidisciplinary field investigations during the two cruises have revealed new, large hydrate-bearing seepage structures in the Sea of Okhotsk, a northwestern marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean (Figure l). The Derugin Basin at the central part of the Sea of Okhotsk, the zone of intensive gas seepage and hydrate accumulation, was studied during two cruises of the R/V Akademik M.A. Lavrentyev (LV) of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), in August and October 2003 within the framework of the CHAOS project (hydroCarbon Hydrate Accumulations in the Okhotsk Sea) supported by funding agencies in five nations.

Seismic evidence of small-scale lacustrine drifts in Lake Baikal (Russia)

High resolution, single-channel seismic sparker profiles across the Akademichesky Ridge, an intra-basin structural high in Lake Baikal (Russia), reveal the presence of small sediment mounds and intervening moats in the upper part of the sedimentary cover. Such features interrupt the generally uniform and even acoustic facies and are not consistent with the hemipelagic sedimentation, which is expected on such an isolated high and which would produce a uniform sediment drape over bottom irregularities. The influence of turbidity currents is excluded since the ridge is an isolated high elevated more than 600-1000 m above adjacent basins. The mounded seismic facies, including migrating sediment waves and non-depositional/erosional incisions, strongly suggest that sediment accumulation was controlled by bottom-current activity. We interpret the mounds as small-scale (< few tens of km2 in area) lacustrine drifts. Four basic types of geometry are identified: 1) slope-plastered patch sheets; 2) patch drifts; 3) confined drifts; 4) fault-controlled drifts. The general asymmetry in the sedimentary cover of the ridge, showing thicker deposits on the NW flank, and the common location of patch drifts on the northeast side of small basement knolls indicate that deposition took preferentially place at the lee sides of obstacles in a current flowing northward or sub-parallel to the main contours. Deep-water circulation in the ridge area is not known in detail, but there are indications that relatively cold saline water masses are presently flowing out of the Central Basin and plunging into the deep parts of the North Basin across the ridge, a process that appears to be driven mainly by small differences in salinity. We infer that the process responsible for the observed bottom-current-controlled sedimentary features has to be sought in these large-scale water-mass movements and their past equivalents. The age of the onset of the bottom-current-controlled sedimentation, based on an average sedimentation rate of 4.0 cm/ky, is roughly estimated to be as least as old as 3.5 Ma, which is generally regarded as the age of the onset of the last major tectonic pulse of rift basin development in the Baikal region.

Faunal communities at sites of gas- and oil-bearing fluids in Lake Baikal

Macro- and meiofaunal communities were examined at four geomorphologically distinct sites with different gas- and oil-bearing fluid characteristics in the northern, central and southern basins of Lake Baikal. All sites had elevated concentrations of bicarbonate, nitrate, sulphate and chloride ions in pore fluids, with highest values at the Frolikha vent. Elevated levels of iron ions were found in pore waters of the St. Petersburg methane seep and the Gorevoy Utes oil seep. The chemical composition of pore waters at the Malenky mud volcano was similar to that reported in earlier work. Consistent with published data, the Frolikha vent (northern basin) and the St. Petersburg methane seep (central basin) were characterised by methane of mixed genesis (thermogenic + biogenic), whereas the methane source was mainly thermogenic at the Gorevoy Utes oil seep (central basin) and biogenic at the Malenky mud volcano (southern basin). In contrast to marine seep ecosystems, the macrofauna was dominated only by amphipods, giant planarians and oligochaetes, whereas bivalves were absent; the meiofauna was similar to its marine counterpart, being dominated by nematodes, cyclops, harpacticoids and ostracods. A statistically significant positive relationship was revealed between faunal abundance and the availability of bacterial mats on seep sediments. Moreover, ANOVA tests showed significant increases in both meiozoobenthic and macrozoobenthic densities at “hot spot” vent/seep sites relative to discharge-free reference sites. The isotopic composition of carbon and nitrogen at various trophic levels of these benthic vent/seep communities was found to differ markedly from that reported by earlier studies for the pelagic and other benthic food webs in Lake Baikal. As in marine seeps, the macrofauna had variable isotopic signatures. Light δ13C and δ15N values suggest the utilization of chemosynthetically fixed and/or methane-derived organic matter. By contrast, the heavy δ13C signatures of some mobile amphipods likely reflect consumption of photosynthetically derived carbon. These findings would at least partly explain why Lake Baikal is a notable outlier in global temperature–biodiversity patterns, exhibiting the highest biodiversity of any lake worldwide but at an extremely cold average temperature.

The First Results of an Investigation into the Phylogenetic Diversity of Microorganisms in Southern Baikal Sediments in the Region of Subsurface Discharge of Methane Hydrates

Phylogenetic analysis of the bacterial communities in Lake Baikal bottom sediments in the region of subsurface methane hydrate discharge has been carried out using data on 16S rRNA sequences. The composition of these microbial communities is shown to be different in different horizons. Methanotrophic bacteria are found in the surface layer (0–5 cm), and uncultured bacteria constitute a great portion of this population. In deeper sediment layers (92–96 cm), a change in the microbial community occurs; specifically, a decreased homology with the known sequences is observed. The new sequences form separate clusters on a phylogenetic tree, indicating the possibly endemic nature of the bacteria revealed. Organisms related to the genus Pseudomonas constitute the main portion of the population. An archaea-related sequence was found in a horizon containing gas hydrate crystals (100–128 cm). Uncultured bacteria remain predominant.

Distribution and morphology of mud volcanoes and other fluid flow-related lake-bed structures in Lake Baikal, Russia

New high-resolution multibeam bathymetry data recorded in 2009 in the deepest lake in the World, Lake Baikal, Siberia, enabled a better understanding of the morphology of ten known lake-bed structures—the Bolshoy, Malenki, Malyutka and Stari mud volcanoes in the South Baikal Basin, the K1–4 structures in the Selenga delta, and the Novosibirsk and St. Petersburg structures in the Central Baikal Basin—and also the discovery of 29 new lake-bed structures. These new structures are the S1, Tolstiy, mTSG and S2 in the South Baikal Basin, the P1–P4, P6–P19 and K5–K8 in the Selenga delta accommodation zone, and the C1, C3 and C4 edifices in the Central Baikal Basin. In all, 39 positive relief structures were identified and their large-scale distribution mapped. Based on their typical shape, the observation of high-reflectivity areas on side-scan sonar data records, and evidence of feeder channels on subsurface data, these structures can be classified as mud volcanoes. This has already been confirmed in other publications for the Bolshoy, Malenki and K2 structures, by the recovery of mud breccias in sediment cores. Most structures occur on or near faults and have orientations parallel with the major faults and main stress orientations in the basins, suggesting a strong structural control on the formation of the mud volcanoes. Their slopes are generally steeper than 5°, consistent with interpretation as mud cones formed by high-viscosity, stiff mud plugs. Only few structures appear to be characterised by a crater, in which case this apparent crater seems to be formed by the coalescence of several single cones, leaving a depression in the centre. Some structures have a moat, which has probably an erosional origin. Furthermore, three depressions have been found, named P5, P20 and C2, which are suggested to be pockmarks.

TECTONICALLY CONTROLLED METHANE ESCAPE IN LAKE BAIKAL

Methane, which is at least partly stored in the bottom sediments of Lake Baikal as gas hydrates, is released on the lake floor in the deeper parts of the basin along major faults, forming venting structures similar to small mud volcanoes. The CH4 venting structures are considered to be the surface expression of escape pathways for excess CH4 generated by the dissociation of pre-existing hydrates. The existence of a local heat flow anomaly associated with the seep area is most likely due to a heat pulse causing the dissociation of the underlying gas hydrates. The heat pulse may be caused by upward flow of geothermal fluids along segments of active faults, possibly accelerated by seismic pumping. It is assumed that this fluid flow is tectonically triggered, considering that left-lateral strike-slip movements along the border faults act as a major factor in fluid accumulation: even a reduced lateral displacement is able to generate fluid flow in the compressional direction, resulting in fluid escape along faults directed along the main direction of extension. The tectonic effect may be coupled to the sediment compaction due to a high sedimentation rate in the area of mud volcanism. Both processes may generate a large-scale convective fluid loop within the basin-fill sediments which advects deeper gases and fluids to the shallow sub-surface. Even in the extensional tectonic environment of Lake Baikal, local compressional forces related to a strike-slip component, may play a role in fluid flow, accumulation and gas escape along active faults. The mechanisms that result in the expulsion of the CH4 in the Lake Baikal sediments are considered as an analogue of what could happen during CO2 sequestration in a similar tectonic environment.

Crystallization of authigenic carbonates in mud volcanoes at Lake Baikal

This paper presents data on authigenic siderite first found in surface sediments from mud volcanoes in the Central (K-2) and Southern (Malen’kii) basins of Lake Baikal. Ca is the predominant cation, which substitutes Fe in the crystalline lattice of siderite. The enrichment of the carbonates in the 13C isotope (from +3.3 to +6.8‰ for the Malen’kii volcano and from +17.7 to +21.9‰ for K-2) results from the crystallization of the carbonates during methane generation via the bacterial destruction of organic matter (acetate). The overall depletion of the carbonates in 18O is mainly inherited from the isotopic composition of Baikal water.

Sedimentary Fe/Mn Layers in Lake Baikal as Evidence of Past and Present Limnological Conditions

As a result of the limnological peculiarities of Lake Baikal, different forms of oxidized Fe and Mn accumulations are widely spread throughout the lake, not only in the uppermost sediments, but also within the sequence of reduced sediments. We present the results of a detailed study of an unusual, oxidized core, up to 2 m long, from the underwater Academician Ridge. This study led us to propose that the Fe/Mn crusts lying deep (several meters) below the bottom surface are not markers of past climatic events, as was suggested previously. They may be the result of a specific diagenetic redistribution of sedimentary Fe and Mn at conditions of slow sedimentation and a sedimentary Corg. deficit, which is typical of an oxidation front in a nonsteady-state diagenetic system. Ancient Fe/Mn crusts of subaerial origin, which have been submerged as a result of tectonic events in this area, could serve as the initial material for such a redistribution. A mechanism for the formation of deep oxidized sedimentary sequences in the Academician Ridge region is proposed.