Mercury Anomaly in the Okinawa Trough Sediments—An Indicator of Modern Seafloor Hydrothermal Activity

The Okinawa Trough is located between the shelf-sea area of the East China Sea and the deep-sea area of western Pacific Ocean.More than 60 chemical elements in the sediments from the shelf area of the East China Sea,the Okinawa Trough and western Pacific Ocean were determined by advanced techniques including neutron acti-vation analysis,X-ray fluorescence spectrometry,atomic fluorescence spectrometry and atomic absorption spectrometry.Quantitative comparisons of the element abundances of the sediments were made in terms of the enrichment coefficients(K) of the elements.K>1.5 indicates enrichment (K=1.5-2, weak enrichment;K=2-4,strong enrichment) and K>4,anomalous enrichment.The results show that the Okinawa Trough sediments are characterized by Hg anomaly and the enrichment of such elements as Au,Ag,Se,Te,Sb,Cd,Mn,Mo,etc.Detailed studies show that the excess Hg comes from hydrothermal solutions rather than from the continent,sea water ,marine organisms,cosmic dust or vol-canic rocks.Attributed to modern hydrothermal activities on the sea floor ,Hg anomaly can be used as a geochemical indicator of modern seafloor hydrothermal activity.

ON TECTONIC PROBLEMS OF THE OKINAWA TROUGH

The Okinawa Trough is a very active tectonic zone at the margin of the Northwest Pacific and is typical of back arc rifting at the young stage of tectonic evolution. Many scientists from Japan, China, Germany, France, the U.S.A. and Russia have done a lot of geologic and geophysical investigations there. It is well known that the Okinawa Trough is an active back arc rift with extremely high heat flow, very strong hydrothermal circulation, strong volcanic and magmatic activity, frequent earthquakes, rapid subsidence and rifting, well developed fault and central graben. But up to now, there are still some important tectonic problems about the Okinawa Trough that require clarification on some aspects such as the type of its crust, its forming time, its tectonic evolution, the distribution of its central grabens, the relationship between its high heat flow and tectonic activity. Based on the data obtained from seismic survey, geomagnetic and gravity measurements, submarine sampling and heat flow measurements in the last 15 years, the author discusses the following tectonic problems about the Okinawa Trough: (1) If the Okinawa Trough develops oceanic crust or not. (2) Is the South Okinawa Trough tectonically more active than the North Okinawa Trough with shallower water and few investigation data on it. (3) The formation time of the Okinawa Trough and its tectonic evolution. The Okinawa Trough has a very thin continental crust. Up to now, there is no evidence of oceanic crust in the Okinawa Trough. The North, Middle and South Okinawa Trough are all very strongly active areas. From 6 Ma B.P., the Okinawa Trough began to form. Since 2 Ma, the Okinawa Trough has been very active.

A New Model of Lithosphere Deformation Beneath the Okinawa Trough Based on Gravity Data

The Ryukyu trench-arc system can be divided into two types according to its subduction model. The normal subduction in the northern part of the Philippine Sea plate creates a hinge sedimentary wedge with large deformation at the collision front, while the oblique subduction in the southern part gives rise to a smaller accretion with small deformation than that in the northern part. The mechanisms that cause the distinction between these two types have been analysed and calculated by using gravity data based on the lithosphere rheology and the stress state of the lithosphere in the subduction boundary. The two types of subduction model are associated with the internal extension in the southern Okinawa Trough and the small extension in the northern part. The difference of the stress state between the two types of subduction model is also manifested in other tectonic features, such as topography, volcanic activity and crust movement. Modeling bathymetric and gravity data from this area suggests that the oblique subduction of low angle, together with smooth geometry of the overlying plate crust, results in small stress released on the south of the trench by the subduction plate. The intraplate faults in the southern Okinawa Trough behind the trench stand in surplus intensive stress. On the other hand, the normal subduction of high angle, together with strong undulation geometry of the overlying crust, results in more intensive stress released in the northern Ryukyu Trench than that in the south. The intraplate faults in the northern Okinawa Trough behind the northern Ryukyu Trench stand in small stress.

Geochemical constraints on the methane seep activity in western slope of the middle Okinawa Trough, the East China Sea

Anaerobic oxidation of methane and sulfate reduction was studied in the pore waters of four cores at two stations of the middle Okinawa Trough. Pore water vertical distributions of sulfate, methane, sulfide, total alkalinity, ammonium, and phosphate were determined in this study. Our results show strong linear sulfate concentration gradients of 6.83 mmol/L m?1 in Core A and 5.96 mmol/L m?1 in Core C, which were collected from two stations. Concurrent variations of methane, total alkalinity and hydrogen sulfide all exhibit steep increases with depth at both cores, which indicate active methane seep activities around two stations. Pore water ammonium and phosphate concentrations reveal minor influences of organic matter degradation on sulfate reduction at two stations. Sulfate methane interface(SMI) was extrapolated from linear sulfate profiles in methane seep cores. Shallower SMI depths(A: 4.9 mbsf; C: 5.4 mbsf) indicate strong methane fluxes and active anaerobic oxidation of methane in the underlying sediments.

Distribution, features, and influence factors of the submarine topographic boundaries of the Okinawa Trough

Based on multiple types of data, the topographical features of the Okinawa Trough(OT) have been characterized and a computation method has been proposed to determine the break point of continental shelf(BOS), foot point of the continental slope(FOS), the central axial point, and the maximum depth point. A total of 48 topographical profiles that crosscut the continental slope have been used to determine the trends of the BOS and FOS(the BOS and FOS lines) in the East China Sea(ECS). The trend of central axial points in the OT has been similarly determined by analyzing 39 topographical profiles across the axis of the trough. The BOS line forms the boundary between the continental shelf and slope. In the ECS, the BOS line roughly follows the 200 m isobath, continuously in the northern and middle parts of the OT, but jumping about somewhat in the south. The FOS line is the boundary between the continental slope and the bottom of the trough. The depth of the FOS increases gradually from north to south in the OT. Intense incisions by canyons into the slope in the southern part of the trough have led to the complex distribution of FOS. Topographical profiles crosscutting the northern, middle, and southern parts of the OT exhibit features that include: a single W-shape, a composite W-shape, and a U-shape, respectively, which suggests that in the middle and northern parts of the trough the central axial points are always located on seamount peaks or ridges associated with linear seamounts, whereas in the south they are found in the center of en echelon depressions. The line formed by the central axial points is the east-west dividing line of the OT, which indicates that the trough is a natural gap that prevents the extension of ECS continental shelf to the east. The distributions of the BOS and FOS lines are influenced by fluctuation of sea levels and submarine canyons, whereas the distribution of axis lines is controlled by tectonics and deposition.