The discovery of a chain of mud volcanoes in the SW Barents Sea: unveiling the Polaris Mud Volcano Complex
Global estimates on the number of submarine mud volcanoes are highly uncertain, as well as their role in the deep-sea biosphere and methane budgets. Several expeditions have been conducted in the Norwegian sector of the Barents Sea over the last two decades, with hundreds of hydrocarbon seeps being mapped and investigated. Still, the only mud volcanoes known so far are the Håkon Møsby Mud Volcano (confirmed in 1995) and Borealis (2023). I will report on the recent discovery of ten mud volcanoes in the Southwestern Barents Sea. They form flat-topped mounds which are connected to seismic chimneys rooted within the infilling of a buried Pleistocene mega-slide scar. I will show ROV seafloor imagery depicting sedimentary features and chemosynthetic habitats, and discuss the 3D seismics and gas geochemistry. Methane-derived carbonates collected from the top of the mud volcanoes exhibit various facies linked to fluid seepage, providing evidence of prolonged activity.
Details
Author
Claudio* Argentino1, Rune Mattingsdal2, Tor Eidvin3, Sverre Ekrene Ohm4, Giuliana Panieri5Institutionen
1Department of Geosciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, NO-9037 Tromsø, Norway; 2Norwegian Offshore Directorate, NO-9406 Harstad, Norway; 3Retired from the Norwegian Offshore Directorate, NO-4003 Stavanger, Norway; 4Department of Energy Resources, University of Stavanger, 4021 Stavanger, Norway; 5Department of Geosciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, NO-9037 Tromsø, Norway;Institute of Polar Sciences, National Research Council (CNR-ISP), 30172 Venice Mestre, ItalyVeranstaltung
Geo4Göttingen 2025Datum
2025DOI
10.48380/0g1y-cd21
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