Dataset Information

Earthquakes drive large-scale submarine canyon development and sediment supply to deep-ocean basins.

ABSTRACT: Although the global flux of sediment and carbon from land to the coastal ocean is well known, the volume of material that reaches the deep ocean-the ultimate sink-and the mechanisms by which it is transferred are poorly documented. Using a globally unique data set of repeat seafloor measurements and samples, we show that the moment magnitude (Mw) 7.8 November 2016 Kaik?ura earthquake (New Zealand) triggered widespread landslides in a submarine canyon, causing a powerful "canyon flushing" event and turbidity current that traveled >680 km along one of the world's longest deep-sea channels. These observations provide the first quantification of seafloor landscape change and large-scale sediment transport associated with an earthquake-triggered full canyon flushing event. The calculated interevent time of ~140 years indicates a canyon incision rate of 40 mm year-1, substantially higher than that of most terrestrial rivers, while synchronously transferring large volumes of sediment [850 metric megatons (Mt)] and organic carbon (7 Mt) to the deep ocean. These observations demonstrate that earthquake-triggered canyon flushing is a primary driver of submarine canyon development and material transfer from active continental margins to the deep ocean.

SUBMITTER: Mountjoy JJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5851666 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Earthquakes drive large-scale submarine canyon development and sediment supply to deep-ocean basins.

Mountjoy Joshu J JJ Howarth Jamie D JD Orpin Alan R AR Barnes Philip M PM Bowden David A DA Rowden Ashley A AA Schimel Alexandre C G ACG Holden Caroline C Horgan Huw J HJ Nodder Scott D SD Patton Jason R JR Lamarche Geoffroy G Gerstenberger Matthew M Micallef Aaron A Pallentin Arne A Kane Tim T

Science advances 20180314 3

Although the global flux of sediment and carbon from land to the coastal ocean is well known, the volume of material that reaches the deep ocean-the ultimate sink-and the mechanisms by which it is transferred are poorly documented. Using a globally unique data set of repeat seafloor measurements and samples, we show that the moment magnitude (<i>M</i><sub>w</sub>) 7.8 November 2016 Kaikōura earthquake (New Zealand) triggered widespread landslides in a submarine canyon, causing a powerful "canyon ...[more]

PMID: 29546245

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Project description:In the ocean, viruses impact microbial mortality, regulate biogeochemical cycling, and alter the metabolic potential of microbial lineages. At deep-sea hydrothermal vents, abundant viruses infect a wide range of hosts among the archaea and bacteria that inhabit these dynamic habitats. However, little is known about viral diversity, host range, and biogeography across different vent ecosystems, which has important implications for how viruses manipulate microbial function and evolution. Here, we examined viral diversity, viral and host distribution, and virus-host interactions in microbial metagenomes generated from venting fluids from several vent sites within three different geochemically and geographically distinct hydrothermal systems: Piccard and Von Damm vent fields at the Mid-Cayman Rise in the Caribbean Sea, and at several vent sites within Axial Seamount in the Pacific Ocean. Analysis of viral sequences and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) spacers revealed highly diverse viral assemblages and evidence of active infection. Network analysis revealed that viral host range was relatively narrow, with very few viruses infecting multiple microbial lineages. Viruses were largely endemic to individual vent sites, indicating restricted dispersal, and in some cases, viral assemblages persisted over time. Thus, we show that hydrothermal vent fluids are home to novel, diverse viral assemblages that are highly localized to specific regions and taxa. IMPORTANCE Viruses play important roles in manipulating microbial communities and their evolution in the ocean, yet not much is known about viruses in deep-sea hydrothermal vents. However, viral ecology and evolution are of particular interest in hydrothermal vent habitats because of their unique nature: previous studies have indicated that most viruses in hydrothermal vents are temperate rather than lytic, and it has been established that rates of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) are particularly high among thermophilic vent microbes, and viruses are common vectors for HGT. If viruses have broad host range or are widespread across vent sites, they have increased potential to act as gene-sharing "highways" between vent sites. By examining viral diversity, distribution, and infection networks across disparate vent sites, this study provides the opportunity to better characterize and constrain the viral impact on hydrothermal vent microbial communities. We show that viruses in hydrothermal vents are diverse and apparently active, but most have restricted host range and are not widely distributed among vent sites. Thus, the impacts of viral infection are likely to be highly localized and constrained to specific taxa in these habitats.

Dataset Information

Earthquakes drive large-scale submarine canyon development and sediment supply to deep-ocean basins.

Publications

Earthquakes drive large-scale submarine canyon development and sediment supply to deep-ocean basins.

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