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Kemp Caldera

Summary

Kemp Caldera[a] and Kemp Seamount form a submarine volcano south of the South Sandwich Islands, in a region where several seamounts are located. The seamount rises to a depth of 80 metres (260 ft) below sea level; the caldera has a diameter of 8.3 by 6.5 kilometres (5.2 mi × 4.0 mi) and reaches a depth of 1,600 metres (5,200 ft). The caldera contains several Hydrothermal vents, including white smokers (a type of vent that emits cold, alkaline fluids)[3] and diffuse venting areas, which are host to chemolithotrophic ecological communities. The seamount and caldera, which were discovered by seafloor mapping in 2009, are part of the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected Area.

Kemp Caldera
Map
Summit depth80
Location
Coordinates59°42′S 28°15′W / 59.700°S 28.250°W / -59.700; -28.250[1]
History
Discovery date2009
First visit2009

Geography and geomorphology edit

Kemp Caldera lies at the southern end of the South Sandwich Islands, between the Scotia Sea to the north and the Weddell Sea to the south,[1] about 50 kilometres (31 mi) west-southwest of Thule Island.[4] The caldera was discovered and sampled in 2009 during bathymetric mapping operations carried out by the RRS James Clark Ross.[5][6] Further sampling efforts took place in 2010 and 2011.[7] Another caldera, Adventure Caldera, lies east of Kemp Seamount;[8] together with several other seamounts the calderas form the Vysokaya Bank.[9] The Nelson Seamounts[9] lie farther south.[10]

The volcano consists of two submarine edifices: the Kemp Caldera proper to the west and Kemp Seamount to the east.[1] The latter rises to a depth of 80 metres (260 ft) below sea level.[11] The caldera is elongated in an east–west direction and has dimensions of 8.6 by 6.5 kilometres (5.3 mi × 4.0 mi).[12] The caldera has a volume of about 9–12 cubic kilometres (2.2–2.9 cu mi) and may have been excavated during the course of multiple eruptions.[13] The caldera floor lies at a depth of 1,600 metres (5,200 ft), 700 metres (2,300 ft) below the margin of the caldera, which has a sill at 900 metres (3,000 ft) depth, and contains a resurgent cone 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) wide and 250 metres (820 ft) high. Numerous volcanic cones and volcanic craters dot its rims, presumably from post-caldera volcanism. Deposits left by mass failures such as slide blocks and debris flow chutes occur both in and outside of the caldera.[5] Basaltic rocks, sediments,[14] sulfur and volcanic ash cover the surrounding seafloor.[4]

Geology edit

Volcanoes in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are found both on the mainland (Antarctic Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land, Victoria Land) and outlying islands (e.g. South Sandwich Islands, South Shetland Islands) and feature both active eruptions and fumarole systems. Hydrothermal vents in the Southern Ocean occur at the Australian-Antarctic Ridge and the East Scotia Ridge.[15]

Subduction of the South American Plate beneath the Sandwich Plate occurs at a rate of 7–7.9 centimetres per year (2.8–3.1 in/year) and is responsible for volcanic activity in the South Sandwich Arc.[16] As the slab descends into the mantle, water is released and induces melting in the mantle wedge above the slab.[17] The arc, includes the eleven volcanic South Sandwich Islands and other submarine volcanoes such as Protector Shoal. Other hydrothermal vents in the arc are found at Quest Caldera and Adventure Crater.[15] Unlike Adventure Crater, Kemp Caldera is located within the backarc region.[18]

Geochemistry and activity edit

Kemp Caldera has erupted low-potassium tholeiite and basaltic andesite,[11][4] and the geochemistry of volcanic rocks at Kemp Seamount is consistent with volcanic arc magma.[19] Kemp Seamount has not had its summit torn down by icebergs through seabed gouging, implying that it is relatively young.[11] The fresh appearance of the submarine volcanic features at Kemp Caldera, including the lack of sediments filling the caldera, indicate that it was recently active.[5]

Hydrothermal vents occur at the foot and on the flanks of the resurgent cone and include white smokers.[5] Three vent zones have been named: "Great Wall" and "Toxic Castle" around the resurgent cone, "Beehive Chimney" on the inner slopes of the caldera[18] and "Devil's Horn" at the north-northwestern caldera rim.[20] Hydrothermal vents form both diffuse venting areas[21] and discrete chimneys,[14] and have deposited anhydrite, baryte, copper sulfides and elemental sulfur.[22] Liquid sulfur has been observed[23] and forms sulfur droplets.[24] Temperatures of 103–202 °C (217–396 °F) have been measured at the white smokers.[25] Water temperatures at Kemp Caldera reach 1 °C (34 °F) while sediments are warmed by volcanic activity to 5 °C (41 °F).[26]

Ecology edit

 
Images of a limpet found at Kemp Caldera

Bacterial mats,[14] clams[26] and limpets settle on the hydrothermal vents,[21] which sustain chemosynthetic communities.[27] Sponges grow on the periphery of the vent areas.[2] "Dead zones" - accumulations of animal carcasses, which have also been found at other submarine hydrothermal systems on Earth - are found in the area.[25] Most of the bacteria found at the caldera belong to the class gammaproteobacteria.[28]

Numerous marine animals have been identified at vent sites, such as actinostolid anemones, the barnacle Neolepas scotiaensis, vesicomyid clams such as Archivesica puertodeseadoi, Lepetodrilus concentricus clams, cocculinid limpets, pycnogonids of the genus Sericosura and the starfish Paulasterias tyleri.[29] The vesicomyid clam communities are made up of unique species, not found in the nearby East Scotia ridge vent systems.[30] Away from hydrothermal vents alcyonaceans, brisingids, cnidarians, holothuroids, ophiuroids,[b] polychaetes[c][29] and shrimp[d] live on and in the seafloor.[32] The bivalve species Spinaxinus caldarium and Parathyasira dearborni were first identified at Kemp Caldera,[7] as were two "bone-eating worm" species, Osedax crouchi and Osedax rogersi.[31]

Whale falls have been found in the surrounding area and support their own biological communities; in total about nine unique ecological communities have been identified in and around Kemp Caldera.[29] The occurrence of limpets at both hydrothermal vents and whale falls in the Kemp Caldera area has been used as evidence that whale falls may be a stepping stone for species to propagate to submarine hydrothermal vents.[34]

Conservation edit

Kemp Caldera lies within the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected Area. Longline fishing is restricted and bottom trawling is outright prohibited.[15] As of 2019 further legislation protecting the environment from mining and hydrocarbon exploration was being developed.[35]

Notes edit

  1. ^ Also known as McIntosh Caldera[2]
  2. ^ Such as Amphioplus sp., Ophiura antarctica and Ophiura irrorata[6]
  3. ^ Including siboglinids[7] such as the "bone-eating worms" Osedax[31]
  4. ^ Such as Eualus amandae[32] which was first discovered at Kemp Caldera and the East Scotia Ridge[33]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Linse et al. 2019, p. 4.
  2. ^ a b IRVD, p. 1.
  3. ^ Arndt 2011, p. 1779.
  4. ^ a b c Cole et al. 2014, p. 23.
  5. ^ a b c d Linse et al. 2019, p. 6.
  6. ^ a b Boschen, Tyler & Copley 2013, p. 28.
  7. ^ a b c Oliver & Rodrigues 2017, p. 267.
  8. ^ Bohrmann 2019, Fig 1.
  9. ^ a b Leat et al. 2013, p. 70.
  10. ^ Leat et al. 2004, p. 19.
  11. ^ a b c Leat et al. 2004, p. 23.
  12. ^ Kürzinger et al. 2023, p. 5.
  13. ^ Leat et al. 2013, p. 74.
  14. ^ a b c Linse et al. 2019, p. 7.
  15. ^ a b c Linse et al. 2019, p. 2.
  16. ^ Barry et al. 2006, p. 224.
  17. ^ Kürzinger et al. 2023, p. 2.
  18. ^ a b Kürzinger et al. 2022, p. 4.
  19. ^ Barry et al. 2006, p. 235.
  20. ^ Kürzinger et al. 2023, p. 11.
  21. ^ a b Linse et al. 2019, p. 9.
  22. ^ Kürzinger et al. 2022, p. 7.
  23. ^ Bohrmann 2019, p. 1.
  24. ^ Kürzinger et al. 2022, p. 8.
  25. ^ a b Linse et al. 2019, p. 18.
  26. ^ a b Bohrmann 2019, p. 2.
  27. ^ Linse et al. 2019, p. 22.
  28. ^ Linse et al. 2019, p. 16.
  29. ^ a b c Linse et al. 2019, pp. 7–9.
  30. ^ Chen & Linse 2020, p. 355.
  31. ^ a b Amon et al. 2014, p. 405.
  32. ^ a b Linse, Bohrmann & Sigwart 2019, p. 2937.
  33. ^ Nye, Copley & Linse 2013, p. 145.
  34. ^ Chen & Linse 2020, p. 354.
  35. ^ Linse et al. 2019, p. 3.

Sources edit

  • Amon, Diva J.; Wiklund, Helena; Dahlgren, Thomas G.; Copley, Jonathan T.; Smith, Craig R.; Jamieson, Alan J.; Glover, Adrian G. (July 2014). "Molecular taxonomy of Osedax (Annelida: Siboglinidae) in the Southern Ocean". Zoologica Scripta. 43 (4): 405–417. doi:10.1111/zsc.12057. S2CID 85772264.
  • Arndt, Nicholas (2011). "White Smoker". Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer. p. 1779. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_1691. ISBN 978-3-642-11271-3.
  • Barry, T. L.; Pearce, J. A.; Leat, P. T.; Millar, I. L.; le Roex, A. P. (15 December 2006). "Hf isotope evidence for selective mobility of high-field-strength elements in a subduction setting: South Sandwich Islands". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 252 (3): 223–244. Bibcode:2006E&PSL.252..223B. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2006.09.034. ISSN 0012-821X.
  • Bohrmann, Gerhard (May 2019). Research VesselPOLARSTERN PS119: 13.04.–31.05.2019 Punta Arenas ‐ Port Stanley Fifth Weekly Report (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  • Boschen, Rachel E.; Tyler, Paul A.; Copley, Jonathan T. (1 August 2013). "Distribution, population structure, reproduction and diet of Ophiolimna antarctica (Lyman, 1879) from Kemp Caldera in the Southern Ocean". Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. 92: 27–35. Bibcode:2013DSRII..92...27B. doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2013.02.005. ISSN 0967-0645.
  • Chen, Chong; Linse, Katrin (2020). "From wood to vent: first cocculinid limpet associated with hydrothermal activity discovered in the Weddell Sea". Antarctic Science. 32 (5): 354–366. Bibcode:2020AntSc..32..354C. doi:10.1017/S095410202000022X. ISSN 0954-1020. S2CID 219075169.
  • Cole, Catherine S.; James, Rachael H.; Connelly, Douglas P.; Hathorne, Ed C. (1 September 2014). "Rare earth elements as indicators of hydrothermal processes within the East Scotia subduction zone system". Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 140: 20–38. Bibcode:2014GeCoA.140...20C. doi:10.1016/j.gca.2014.05.018. ISSN 0016-7037.
  • "Kemp Caldera". InterRidge Vents Database. Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP). Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  • Kürzinger, Victoria; Diehl, Alexander; Pereira, Samuel I.; Strauss, Harald; Bohrmann, Gerhard; Bach, Wolfgang (September 2022). "Sulfur formation associated with coexisting sulfide minerals in the Kemp Caldera hydrothermal system, Scotia Sea". Chemical Geology. 606: 120927. Bibcode:2022ChGeo.60620927K. doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2022.120927. S2CID 248870905.
  • Kürzinger, Victoria; Römer, Miriam; Lichtschlag, Anna; Bohrmann, Gerhard (November 2023). "Seafloor Investigations of the Kemp Caldera, the Southernmost Arc Caldera Volcano From the South Sandwich Island Arc". Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. 24 (11). doi:10.1029/2023GC011024. ISSN 1525-2027.
  • Leat, P. T.; Pearce, J. A.; Barker, P. F.; Millar, I. L.; Barry, T. L.; Larter, R. D. (30 October 2004). "Magma genesis and mantle flow at a subducting slab edge: the South Sandwich arc-basin system". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 227 (1): 17–35. Bibcode:2004E&PSL.227...17L. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2004.08.016. ISSN 0012-821X.
  • Leat, Philip T.; Day, Simon J.; Tate, Alex J.; Martin, Tara J.; Owen, Matthew J.; Tappin, David R. (1 September 2013). "Volcanic evolution of the South Sandwich volcanic arc, South Atlantic, from multibeam bathymetry". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 265: 60–77. Bibcode:2013JVGR..265...60L. doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2013.08.013. ISSN 0377-0273.
  • Linse, Katrin; Copley, Jonathan T.; Connelly, Douglas P.; Larter, Robert D.; Pearce, David A.; Polunin, Nick V. C.; Rogers, Alex D.; Chen, Chong; Clarke, Andrew; Glover, Adrian G.; Graham, Alastair G. C.; Huvenne, Veerle A. I.; Marsh, Leigh; Reid, William D. K.; Roterman, C. Nicolai; Sweeting, Christopher J.; Zwirglmaier, Katrin; Tyler, Paul A. (2019). "Fauna of the Kemp Caldera and its upper bathyal hydrothermal vents (South Sandwich Arc, Antarctica)". Royal Society Open Science. 6 (11): 191501. Bibcode:2019RSOS....691501L. doi:10.1098/rsos.191501. PMC 6894572. PMID 31827872.
  • Linse, Katrin; Bohrmann, Gerhard; Sigwart, Julia (1 December 2019). "Eualus amandae (Decapoda: Caridea: Thoridae) is an indicator of active venting sites in the Southern Ocean". Marine Biodiversity. 49 (6): 2937–2942. doi:10.1007/s12526-019-01018-x. ISSN 1867-1624. S2CID 207987870.
  • Nye, Verity; Copley, Jonathan T.; Linse, Katrin (1 August 2013). "A new species of Eualus Thallwitz, 1892 and new record of Lebbeus antarcticus (Hale, 1941) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Caridea: Hippolytidae) from the Scotia Sea". Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. 92: 145–156. Bibcode:2013DSRII..92..145N. doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2013.01.022. ISSN 0967-0645.
  • Oliver, P. Graham; Rodrigues, Clara F. (2017). "THYASIRIDAE (MOLLUSCA: BIVALVIA) FROM THE KEMP CALDERA HYDROTHERMAL SITE, SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS, ANTARCTICA". Journal of Conchology. 42 (5) – via ResearchGate.

External links edit

  • Cole, Catherine (October 2013). Biogeochemistry of hydrothermal systems in the Scotia Sea (phd thesis). University of Southampton.
  • Hawkes, Jeffrey Alistair (2013-09-01). Iron speciation in hydrothermal plumes (phd thesis). University of Southampton.
  • Hepburn, Laura (2015). Hydrothermal sediment geochemistry south of the Antarctic Polar Front (Ph.D. thesis). University of Southampton.
  • Klar, Jessica K. (2014-09-19). Iron isotopes in seawater:method development and results from the Atlantic ocean (phd thesis). University of Southampton.
  • Roterman, Christopher Nicolai (2013). The evolution and population genetics of hydrothermal vent megafauna from the Scotia Sea (Ph.D. thesis). University of Oxford.

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