­­­­High-Resolution Mapping of Kick‘em Jenny Submarine Volcano and Associated Landslides

Tyler Louis Ruchala1, Steve Carey2, Laney Hart3, Max Chen1, Carly Scott3, Masako Tominaga1, Frederic Jean-Yves Dondin4 and Masakazu Fujii5, (1)Texas A&M University, Geology and Geophysics, College Station, TX, United States, (2)Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, United States, (3)Michigan State University, Geological Sciences, East Lansing, MI, United States, (4)The UWI Seismic Research Centre, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, (5)Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Abstract:
To understand the physical and geological processes that drive the volcanism and control the morphology of Kick‘em Jenny (KEJ) volcano, the only active submarine volcano in the in the Lesser Antilles volcanic arc, we conducted near-source, high-resolution mapping of KEJ and its subsurface using the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Hercules during cruise NA054 of the E/V Nautilus (Sept.-Oct. 2014). Shipboard bathymetric data (EM302 system) and slope analysis maps were used to decipher the detailed seafloor morphology surrounding KEJ. Multiple generations of submarine landslides and canyons were observed, suggesting the area has been hosting dynamic sediment transport systems at multiple scales over time. Some of them might have been associated by past eruptions. Clear contacts between partially lithified carbonate sediments and volcanic formations were identified from ROV videos at the middle of the landslide slope face. Detailed observations of facies on these exposures provide constraints on the time intervals between landslide events along the western slope of KEJ. ROV video imagery also identified outcrops of columnar basalts located in the middle of the landslide deposits. These are similar in appearance to those observed in the KEJ crater during previous ROV dives, indicating a possible travel distance of volcanic materials from the crater region along landslide path. High-resolution photo mosaics, bathymetry, and magnetic data acquired by ROV Hercules were used to investigate geological processes and the possible volcanic source of landslide material within the KEJ crater. Mapping in the northwestern part of the crater floor revealed distinctive regions, including (i) microbial mats, (ii) active hydrothermal vent sites; (iii) landforms curved by channelized bottom current where seafloor is outcropped; and (iv) coarse scree the distribution of which may correlate with the distance from the crater rim. Near-bottom magnetic profiles show coherent magnetic signatures with correlatable high amplitude anomalies located in the middle of the KEJ crater.
Back to: Exploration and Research, and Assessment of Complex Deep-Sea Ecosystems: Recent Advances,  Holistic Approaches, and Future Challenges I