Episodic fluid venting from sedimentary basins fueled by pressurized mudstones.

Subsurface sandstone reservoirs sealed by overlying, low-permeability layers provide capacity for long-term sequestration of anthropogenic waste. Leakage can occur if reservoir pressures rise sufficiently to fracture the seal. Such pressures can be generated within the reservoir by vigorous injection of waste or, over thousands of years, by natural processes. In either case, the precise role of intercalated mudstones in the long-term evolution of reservoir pressure remains unclear; these layers have variously been viewed as seals, as pressure sinks, or as pressure sources. Here, we use the geological record of episodic fluid venting in the Levant Basin to provide striking evidence for the pressure-source hypothesis. We use a Bayesian framework to combine recently published venting data, which record critical subsurface pressures since ∼2 Ma, with a stochastic model of pressure evolution to infer a pressure-recharge rate of ∼30 MPa/Myr. To explain this large rate, we quantify and compare a range of candidate mechanisms. We find that poroelastic pressure diffusion from mudstones provides the most plausible explanation for these observations, amplifying the ∼3 MPa/Myr recharge caused primarily by tectonic compression. Since pressurized mudstones are ubiquitous in sedimentary basins, pressure diffusion from mudstones is likely to promote seal failure globally.

Quaternary E-W Extension Uplifts Kythira Island and Segments the Hellenic Arc.

Several crustal and lithospheric mechanisms lead to deformation and vertical motion of the upper plate during subduction, but their relative contribution is often enigmatic. Multiple areas of the Hellenic Forearc have been uplifting since Plio-Quaternary times, yet spatiotemporal characteristics and sources of this uplift are poorly resolved. The remarkable geology and geomorphology of Kythira Island, in the southwestern Hellenic forearc, allow for a detailed tectonic reconstruction since the Late Miocene. We present a morphotectonic map of the island, together with new biostratigraphic dating and detailed analyses of active fault strikes and marine terraces. We find that the Tortonian-Pliocene stratigraphy in Kythira records ∼100 m of subsidence, and a wide coastal rasa marks the ∼2.8-2.4 Ma maximum transgression. Subsequent marine regression of ∼300-400 m and minor E-W tilt are recorded in ∼12 marine terrace levels for which we estimate uplift rates of ∼0.2-0.4 mm/yr. Guided by simple landscape evolution models, we interpret the coastal morphology as the result of initial stability or of slow, gradual sea-level drop since ∼2.8-2.4 Ma, followed by faster uplift since ∼1.5-0.7 Ma. Our findings on- and offshore suggest that E-W extension is the dominant mode of regional active upper crustal deformation, and N-S normal faults accommodate most, if not all of the uplift on Kythira. We interpret the initiation of E-W extension as the result of a change in plate boundary conditions, in response to either propagation of the North Anatolian Fault, incipient collision with the African plate, mantle dynamics or a combination thereof.

Assessment of heavy metal pollution in sediments from the mampostón sub-watershed (mayabeque, cuba) using X-ray fluorescence analysis / Estudio por fluorescencia de rayos x de la polucion por metales pesados en sedimentos de la subcuenca Mamposton (Mayabeque, Cuba)

Abstract Concentrations of nickel, copper, zinc and lead in surface sediments from 16 stations located in Mampostón sub-watershed (Mayabeque, Cuba) were estimated by X-ray fluorescence analysis. The Cu, Zn and Pb contents in sediments shows a different level of contamination across the studied stations. The application of modified degree of contamination (mCd) allowed to classify the metal pollution in Ganuza and Mampostón rivers and in Pedroso reservoir. The comparison with Sediment Quality Guidelines and toxicity mean quotients shows that 100% of the sediments are associated with the occasional presence of possible adverse effects to human health.

Resumen Se determinan, por Fluorescencia de Rayos X, las concentraciones de Níquel, Cobre, Zinc y Plomo en los sedimentos superficiales de 16 estaciones en la subcuenca Mampostón (Mayabeque, Cuba).Los contenidos de Cu, Zn y Pb en los sedimentos muestran diferentes niveles de contaminación en las estaciones estudiadas. La aplicación del grado de contaminación modificado (mCd) permitió clasificar como alta o baja la contaminación de los ríos Ganuza y Mampostón, así como del embalse Pedroso. La comparación con las Guías de Calidad de Sedimentos y del cociente promedio de toxicidad, mostró que el 100% de los sedimentos estudiados están asociados a la presencia ocasional de posibles efectos adversos a la salud humana.