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Regional and local geothermal conditions in the northern Black Sea

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Abstract

More than 100 new heat flow measurements have been collected in recent years (2002–2004) in different tectonic environments of the northern Black Sea. The northern periphery of the Black Sea is characterized by strong geodynamic and seismic activity, high sedimentation rates, diapiric structures, mud volcanism, and fluid and gas escape at the sea floor. We present new thermal data from the shelf, continental slope and deep-water basin, measured off-shore using a marine thermo-probe and on-shore in drill holes. Heat flow density ranges from 20 to more than 2,000 mW/m2. For two local areas (the Dnieper gas seeps and the Dvurechenski mud volcano area), we discuss the relation between heat flow variability and the geological and physical processes in the near-bottom sediment layer. The Dnieper gas seeps area is characterized by strong small-scale heat flow variability and is controlled by fluid and gas migration. In the Dvurechenski active mud volcano, the near-bottom temperature in sediments is anomalously elevated because additional heat is carried out by mass flows of fluids and clay minerals. Away from the mud volcano heat flow quickly decreases to background values.

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Acknowledgement

The authors are very grateful to reviewers Dr. V. Cermak (Geophysical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic), Dr. B. Della Vedova (Universita di Trieste, Italy), Dr. A.Duchkov (Institute of Geophysics Russian Academy of Sciences Siberian Branch) for their comments and recommendation.). We are indebted to Jan Klerkx, Oleg Kravchuk, Michail Bevzyuk, Jeroen Vercruysse, Lieven Naudts and Marc De Batist, with the help of whom we collected the thermal data. J. Poort is supported by a post-doctoral research assistantship of the Flemish Fund for Scientific Research (FWO-Vlaanderen).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geophysics, National Academy of Ukraine, 32 Palladin Ave, 03680, Kiev 142, Ukraine

    R. I. Kutas

  2. Renard Centre of Marine Geology (RCMG), Universiteit Gent, Krijglaan 281 s8, 9000, Gent, Belgium

    J. Poort

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  1. R. I. Kutas
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  2. J. Poort
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Correspondence to R. I. Kutas.

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Kutas, R.I., Poort, J. Regional and local geothermal conditions in the northern Black Sea. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 97, 353–363 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-007-0216-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-007-0216-9

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