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Flare-Shaped Acoustic Anomalies in the Water Column Along the Ecuadorian Margin: Relationship with Active Tectonics and Gas Hydrates

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An Erratum to this article was published on 15 March 2016

Abstract

With hull-mounted multibeam echosounder data, we report for the first time along the active Ecuadorian margin, acoustic signatures of water column fluid emissions and seep-related structures on the seafloor. In total 17 flare-shaped acoustic anomalies were detected from the upper slope (1250 m) to the shelf break (140 m). Nearly half of the flare-shaped acoustic anomalies rise 200–500 m above the seafloor. The base of the flares is generally associated with high-reflectivity backscatter patches contrasting with the neighboring seafloor. We interpret these flares as caused by fluid escape in the water column, most likely gases. High-resolution seismic profiles show that most flares occur close to the surface expression of active faults, deformed areas, slope instabilities or diapiric structures. In two areas tectonic deformation disrupts a Bottom Simulating Reflector (BSR), suggesting that buried frozen gas hydrates are destabilized, thus supplying free gas emissions and related flares. This discovery is important as it opens the way to determine the nature and origin of the emitted fluids and their potential link with the hydrocarbon system of the forearc basins along the Ecuadorian margin.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the crew of R/V L’Atalante and GE- NAVIR. This work was supported by Institut National des Sciences de l’Univers du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (INSU). Thanks to Institut de la Recherche et du Développement (IRD), the Laboratoire Mixte International ‘‘Séismes et Volcans’’(LMI) and to the Instituto Oceanografico de la Armada (INOCAR). This work was partially sponsored by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of the Republic of Ecuador (SENESCYT). We thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments, which helped us to improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Univ. Pierre et Marie Curie, UPMC, CNRS, IRD, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, Géoazur UMR 7329, 250 rue Albert Einstein, 06560, Sophia Antipolis, Valbonne, France

    Francois Michaud

  2. Univ. Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, IRD, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, Géoazur UMR 7329, 250 rue Albert Einstein, 06560, Sophia Antipolis, Valbonne, France

    Francois Michaud, Alexandre Dano, Jean-Yves Collot, Grâce Daniella Guiyeligou, Gueorgui Ratzov, Carlos Martillo & Laure Schenini

  3. Géosciences Rennes, CNRS, Université de Rennes 1, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042, Rennes Cedex, France

    Jean-Noël Proust, Carlos Martillo & Hugo Pouderoux

  4. Investigador Prometeo, Instituto Geofísico, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Ladrón de Guevara E11-253, Aptdo.2759, Quito, Ecuador

    Jean-Yves Collot

  5. Departamento de Geología, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Ladrón de Guevara E11-53, Quito, Ecuador

    María José Hernández Salazar

  6. Facultad de Ingenieria en Ciencias de la Tierra, Escuela Politécnica del Litoral, km 30.5 Vía Perimetral Campus “Gustavo Galindo”, Guayaquil, Ecuador

    Carlos Martillo & Glenda Loayza

  7. Instituto Oceanográfica de la Armada de Ecuador (INOCAR), Avenida 25 de Julio vía Puerto Marítimo, Base Naval Sur, Guayaquil, Ecuador

    Carlos Martillo & Glenda Loayza

  8. Univ. des Antilles et de la Guyane, Campus de Fouillole, 97159, Pointe a` Pitre Cedex, Guadeloupe, France

    Jean-Frederic Lebrun

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  1. Francois Michaud
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  2. Jean-Noël Proust
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  3. Alexandre Dano
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  4. Jean-Yves Collot
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Correspondence to Francois Michaud.

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An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00024-016-1262-7.

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Michaud, F., Proust, JN., Dano, A. et al. Flare-Shaped Acoustic Anomalies in the Water Column Along the Ecuadorian Margin: Relationship with Active Tectonics and Gas Hydrates. Pure Appl. Geophys. 173, 3291–3303 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-015-1230-7

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