Helium and methane sources and fluxes of shallow submarine hydrothermal plumes near the Tokara Islands, Southern Japan.

ABSTRACT: Shallow submarine volcanoes have been newly discovered near the Tokara Islands, which are situated at the volcanic front of the northern Ryukyu Arc in southern Japan. Here, we report for the first time the volatile geochemistry of shallow hydrothermal plumes, which were sampled using a CTD-RMS system after analyzing water column images collected by multi-beam echo sounder surveys. These surveys were performed during the research cruise KS-14-10 of the R/V Shinsei Maru in a region stretching from the Wakamiko Crater to the Tokara Islands. The ³He flux and methane flux in the investigated area are estimated to be (0.99-2.6) × 10⁴ atoms/cm²/sec and 6-60 t/yr, respectively. The methane in the region of the Tokara Islands is a mix between abiotic methane similar

SUBMITTER: Wen HY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5037448 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature