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The article in the journal "Frontiers in Earth Science" explores contemporary studies on cold seeps, hydrothermal vents, mud volcanoes, and related seafloor features. These features provide insights into deep processes that are typically inaccessible to scientists. The research emphasizes multidisciplinary approaches to studying seafloor fluid emissions, highlighting the importance of geologic, physical, chemical, and biological processes in these environments. The studies cover a wide range of topics, including microbial processes, fluid dynamics, mineralization, and the role of seafloor emissions in global biogeochemical cycles. [Extracted from the article]

The Nankai hydrate field, Japan, is an example of gas-hydrate deposits associated with an active subduction zone. In order to determine the origin of gas hydrates in this area, [sup.129]I/I ratios together with halogen concentrations were measured in a set of pore-water samples collected from two boreholes in the Nankai hydrate field. Iodine concentrations are between 100 and 230 [micro]M, i.e., strongly enriched compared to seawater, while CI concentrations were found to he close to that of seawater. Except for one sample, [sup.129]I/1 ratios are between 180 and 520 x [10.sup.-15], giving minimum ages between 24 and 48 Ma. Because these ages are considerably older than present host sediments ( Keywords: gas hydrates, I-129 dating, Nankai Trough, pore waters, marine sediments.

Abstract: The long-lived halogen radioisotopes 129I and 36Cl provide valuable information regarding the source of fluids in hydrocarbon systems and in localized areas where infiltration of younger meteoric water has occurred. Despite the utility of these two isotopes in providing time-signatures for fluid end-members, considerable uncertainty remains regarding the interpretation of “intermediate-age” waters in hydrologic systems. These waters are likely the result of the combination of two or more halogen sources at some time in the past, each with its own characteristic concentration and isotopic composition. In order to unravel the evolution of these “intermediate-age” waters, the effect that infiltration of meteoric water has on the isotopic composition of older formation waters is modeled. Also evaluated is the effect that the timing of dilution has on 129I and 36Cl signatures observed in the present, specifically, the hypothesis that halogen isotopic signatures imparted by the mixing of brine and meteoric waters early in the development of a sedimentary basin are quantitatively different from those imparted by the mixing of old brines with recent meteoric waters. The modeled results are compared to previously published isotopic data from production wells in the Fruitland Formation coalbed methane system. Portions of the basin preserve enough of the original brine source to retain 129I/I ratios roughly recording the age of deposition of organic matter (73–76Ma) even where some degree of dilution by meteoric water has occurred. However, the 129I signatures of waters that presently contain less than 10% of the original formation water component indicate that mixing has occurred within the past 10Ma, consistent with recently published 4He data. Both 36Cl concentrations and 36Cl/Cl ratios show that waters containing more than 10% formation water are all in secular equilibrium with the host formation coals. In contrast, waters with less than 1% of the original formation water’s Cl− content all have 36Cl/Cl ratios which are greater than secular equilibrium values, indicating the migration of meteoric water into the coal formation more recently than 2Ma. Although 36Cl signatures in the Fruitland Formation are not significantly affected by anthropogenic input, 129I/I ratios in a subset of samples that retain less than 1% of the initial formation water component suggest input of anthropogenic 129I during the past 50a. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Fruitland Formation of the San Juan Basin was deposited during the late Cretaceous and is associated with significant reservoirs of coalbed methane (CBM). The purpose of this study is to determine the origin and history of waters associated with the formation, using long-lived cosmogenic and stable isotope systems. Ratios of 129I/I and stable isotope values (δD and δ18O) were determined in waters from close to 100 wells, 36Cl/Cl ratios for a subset of these samples. A significant group of samples has 129I/I ratios between 100 × 10−15 and 200 × 10−15, indicating minimum iodine ages close to 60 Ma. If these ages are corrected for the addition of fissiogenic 129I, they are compatible with the depositional age of the Fruitland Formation (Late Cretaceous).Several sets of waters are clearly present within the data. A group dominated by infiltration of recent surface waters is restricted to the uplifted basin margins, with a lateral extent of less than 5 km from outcrop, and is characterized by 129I/I ratios in excess of 1500 × 10−15 and meteoric δD, δ18O, and 36Cl/Cl signatures. The rest of the basin is characterized by several subsets of formation waters which have undergone variable degrees of iodine enrichment through diagenesis as well as variable degrees of dilution. The first subgroup is found in coals of relatively low vitrinite reflectance and moderate enrichment of iodine. This subgroup predominantly consists of entrapped pore fluids, although it may also contain waters which infiltrated the coals at the time of the Laramide uplift, between 25 and 30 Ma. A second subgroup consists of formation waters associated with coals of high vitrinite reflectance. Despite subsequent uplift, the high iodine concentrations and low 129I/I ratios of this subgroup, as well as a moderate depletion of deuterium relative to 18O, suggest that these waters were not significantly altered since the time when diagenetic reactions occurred in the deepest portion of the basin. A third subgroup, with higher δD and δ18O values as well as higher 129I/I ratios, extends roughly west to east at the New Mexico–Colorado state line and corresponds to a region of extensive fracturing of the coalbeds. In this case, the higher 129I/I ratios are probably due to contributions of fissiogenic 129I through fracture flow, perhaps from deeper formation waters. Our results do not support models of subsequent basin-wide groundwater migration in the Fruitland Formation. The combined use of 129I and 36Cl with stable isotope studies provides valuable information as to the hydrologic history of coalbed methane deposits, as well as their potential for commercial exploitation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The largest reservoir of crustal iodine is found in marine sediments, where it is closely associated with organic material. This presence, together with the existence of a long-lived, cosmogenic radioisotope 129I (t1/2 = 15.7 Ma), make this isotopic system well suited for the study of sediment recycling in subduction zones. Reported here are the results of 129I/I ratios in volcanic fluids, collected during a comprehensive study of fluids and gases in the Central American Volcanic Arc. 129I/I ratios, together with I, Br, and Cl concentrations, were determined in 79 samples from four geothermal centers and a number of crater lakes, fumaroles, hot springs, and surface waters in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. Geothermal and volcanic fluids were found to have iodine concentrations substantially higher than values in seawater or meteoric waters. 129I/I ratios in most of the geothermal fluids are below the preanthropogenic input ratio of 1500 × 10−15, demonstrating that recent anthropogenic additions are largely absent from the volcanic systems. The majority of the 129I/I ratios are between 500 and 800 × 10−15. These ratios indicate minimum iodine ages between 25 and 15 Ma, in good agreement with the age of subducted sediments in this region. In all four geothermal systems, however, a few samples were found with iodine ages older than 40 Ma—that is, considerably below the expected age range for subducted sediments from the Cocos Plate. These samples probably reflect the presence of iodine derived from sediments in older accreted oceanic terraines. The iodine ages indicate that the magmatic end member for the volcanic fluids originates in the deeper parts of the subducted sediment column, with small additions from older iodine mobilized from the overlying crust. The high concentrations of iodine in geothermal fluids, combined with the observed iodine ages, demonstrate that remobilization in the main volcanic zone (and probably also in the forearc area) is an important part in the overall marine cycle of iodine and similar elements. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A gas hydrate field with highly active venting of methane was recently found near Sado Island in the eastern Japan Sea. Piston cores were collected from active venting sites and nearby locations in the Umitaka Spur–Joetsu Knoll area during two cruises in 2004 (UT04) and 2005 (KY05-08). We report here halogen concentrations and 129I/I ratios in pore waters associated with gas hydrates from these expeditions. The strongly biophilic behavior of I and, to a lesser degree, of Br together with the presence of the long-lived iodine radioisotope (129I) allow evaluation of potential source materials for methane in gas hydrate systems. Depth profiles of all three halogens, particularly the very rapid downward increases of Br and I concentrations, strongly suggest input of deep fluids enriched in Br and I, but the profiles also display the effects of gas hydrate formation and dissociation. Although the 129I/I ratios are modified by 129I from seawater and sediments at shallow depth, likely ratios of the deep fluids are estimated to be between 400×10−15 and 600×10−15, equivalent to a Late Oligocene to Early Miocene age. Ages in the active methane venting sites typically are closer to the old end of this range than those in the reference sites. This age range suggests that the methane associated with venting and gas hydrate formation in this area is derived from organic materials accumulated during the initial opening of the Japan Sea. The Umitaka Spur–Joetsu Knoll gas hydrate field demonstrates the movement of deep fluids associated with the release of significant amounts of methane from the seafloor, processes which might be important components of mass transfer and carbon cycle in the shallow geosphere. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]