Timing of active methane seep events in the eastern margin of the Japan Sea based on benthic foraminifera

Abstract:

We study the late Quaternary assemblages and stable isotope analyses of benthic foraminifera from the marine core sediments around three methane seep area in the eastern margin of the Japan Sea. Study samples are collected on the Umitaka Spur (MD179-3304), a west part of the Oki Trough (UT14-PC1303&PC1305), and a north part of the Mogami Trough (HR14-RC1408). Each sedimentation rate is calculated by the ages of ¹⁴C, tephra, oxygen isotope events, and bottoms of the thin laminated layer.

Obvious occurrences of the methane related foraminifera, Rutherfordoides sp., are found from three all core sediments, and these sedimentation ages range to 28-25ka, early part of the MIS 2. However, we never find the unique occurrences from RC1408 sections except of MIS 2 even if another low stand stage of MIS 6. Above Rutherfordoides distributions, rare benthic foraminiferal number shows an anoxic bottom condition where most benthic foraminifera couldn’t live during the LGM (Oba et al., 1991), nonetheless, Rutherfordoides sp. lived continuously until the LGM. From the surface sediments, Rutherfordoides cornuta, lives on plural area from the northwest Pacific but not from the Japan Sea (Matoba and Nakagawa, 2009) is related to high methane gas content of the sediments in the Sagami Bay (Akimoto et al., 1996). Nakagawa et al. (2009) reported that distributions of Rutherfordoides rotundata (closely related R. cornuta) indicate that an expulsion of a large amount of methane occurred on the Umitaka Spur during the LGM due to a massive dissociation of subsurface methane hydrate. And, the negative carbon isotope peak signal of Rutherfordoides sp. from RC1408 in the Mogami Trough, also indicate to dissociations of methane hydrate and active methane seeps by the lowest sea level same as Umitaka Spur (Takeuchi et al., 2007).

Acknowledgement

This research was a part of METI’s project entitled “FY2014 Promoting research and development on methane hydrate” .