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Numerical modeling of early diagenetic processes in Haiyang 4 Area in the northern slope of the South China Sea

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Abstract

Early diagenesis affects the distribution of solutes and minerals in unconsolidated sediments. The investigation of diagenesis is critical to understanding the geochemical transformation and benthic fluxes of elements. During the cruise mission SO-177 in 2004, gravity coring samples were recovered in the Haiyang 4 Area of the northern slope of the South China Sea (SCS). The geochemical concentrations in interstitial water were determined onboard. The 1D C.CANDI reactive transport software was used to model the early diagenesis processes at four sites: 56-GC-3, 70-GC-9, 94-GC-11, and 118-GC-13. All of the simulations reproduced concentration profiles that matched the measurements with the implemented geochemical reactions. The degradation of organic carbon and anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) primarily determine the distribution of solutes in the working area. The degradation is active in the top 150 cm, and AOM is vigorous at depths below 200 cm. The local advective flux, sediment rate, and kinetic reaction constants of organic matter, methane and sulfate were calibrated based on the existing concentrations of pore water solutes. Geochemical reactions in this area occur in considerably deeper layers compared to depths cited in the literature. The model results provide evidence for the existence of deep hydrocarbon reservoirs that provide methane to the upper sediments.

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Acknowledgements

This work has been financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (General Program No.41376076). Authors are grateful for the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (2015A030313718) and the External Cooperation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (GJHZ1404) is also acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China

    Lihua Liu

  2. German Federal Office for Radiation Protection, Messnetzknoten Rendsburg, Rendsburg, Germany

    Roger Luff

  3. UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany

    Haibing Shao & Olaf Kolditz

  4. Freiberg University of Mining and Technology, Freiberg, Germany

    Haibing Shao

  5. The Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Ministry of Land and Resources, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Nengyou Wu

  6. Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Nengyou Wu

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  1. Lihua Liu
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  2. Roger Luff
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Correspondence to Lihua Liu.

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Liu, L., Luff, R., Shao, H. et al. Numerical modeling of early diagenetic processes in Haiyang 4 Area in the northern slope of the South China Sea. Environ Earth Sci 76, 453 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-017-6784-5

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