The source is in the sink: Deep‐water deposition by a submarine volcanic arc, Taranaki Basin, New Zealand

Abstract

Submarine volcanoes produce sediment that originates and remains in a deep-water setting, never escaping the water column. This situation puts a twist on the idea of 'source to sink' pathways, where both source and sink are in the submarine realm. Submarine volcanoes may play a significant role in basin sedimentation and evolution, but direct observation of sediment production and dispersal from submerged volcanoes is logistically difficult. This study analyzes the Mohakatino Formation, a Miocene deep-marine unit produced by ancient submarine volcanoes of the Taranaki Basin, New Zealand, to investigate sediment transport and deposition from these volcanoes. Outcrop analysis of the volcanogenic deposits suggests a submarine lobe environment in a north-south elongated sub-basin, confined by the growing volcanic arc to the north and west and a fault-controlled topographic high to the east. Composition and sedimentary structures indicate that most deposits in this area are reworked volcanogenic material, rather than primary deposits from individual eruption events, transported to the depocentre by eruptioninitiated and mass wasting-initiated turbidity currents. This study highlights the need for submarine volcanoes to be considered in source to sink investigations, to ascertain their role as sediment sources to marine basins. Deeply submerged volcanoes are disconnected from some environmental signals, while sedimentation from shallow-water volcanoes may be especially sensitive to perturbations in sea-level and climate. In both cases, a short transfer zone between source and sink may increase the likelihood that source area signals are transmitted to the sedimentary record.

Characterization of the Rapanui mass‐transport deposit and the basal shear zone: Mount Messenger Formation, Taranaki Basin, New Zealand

“…The area was dominated by channels and lobes in a submarine fan system. These clastic sediments were mixed with coeval volcaniclastic material derived from the submarine Mohakatino volcanic arc to the north (Shumaker et al ., ). (B) High sedimentation rates preconditioned the slope for mass failures.…”

“…The basin sedimentation patterns at the time of the RMTD were characterized by clastic sedimentation rates ranging from ca 60 to 200 cm kyr −1 (King et al., ; Maier et al., ) that coincided with an interpreted ca 150 m global sea‐level fall (Haq et al., ). These clastic sediments were mixed with coeval volcaniclastic material derived from the submarine andesitic Mohakatino volcanic arc in the northern offshore part of the basin (Giba et al., ; Shumaker et al., ) and were punctuated by several MTDs (King et al., ; Rotzien et al., ; Sharman et al., ; Masalimova et al., ).…”

Stratigraphy of Architectural Elements of a Buried Monogenetic Volcanic System and Implications for Geoenergy Exploration

“…Tephra material can be reworked during or immediately after eruptions by mechanism such as submarine currents, waves and tsunamis (e.g. Kereszturi and Németh, 2013;Shumaker et al, 2018). Based on the available 2D seismic data and limited number of wells, distinguishing eruptive volcanic deposits from eruption-related sedimentary deposits, or from resedimented epiclastic deposits is not always possible.…”

Stratigraphy of Architectural Elements of a Buried Monogenetic Volcanic System

“…submarine landslides triggered by the 2009 eruption at NW Rota-1 volcano, Mariana arc; [127]. Tephra material can be reworked during or immediately after eruptions by mechanisms such as submarine currents, waves and tsunamis [25,128]. Based on the available 2D seismic data and a limited number of wells, distinguishing eruptive volcanic deposits from eruption-related sedimentary deposits, or from resedimented epiclastic deposits is not always possible.…”