Earthquake-enhanced dissolved carbon cycles in ultra-deep ocean sediments

Mengfan Chu¹, Rui Bao², Michael Strasser³, Ken Ikehara⁴, Jez Everest⁵, Lena Maeda⁶, Katharina Hochmuth^{7

8}, Li Xu⁹, Ann McNichol¹⁰, Piero Bellanova¹¹, Troy Rasbury¹², Martin Kölling¹³, Natascha Riedinger¹⁴, Joel Johnson¹⁵, Min Luo¹⁶, Christian März^{17

18}, Susanne Straub¹⁹, Kana Jitsuno²⁰, Morgane Brunet²¹, Zhirong Cai²², Antonio Cattaneo²³, Kanhsi Hsiung²⁴, Takashi Ishizawa²⁵, Takuya Itaki⁴, Toshiya Kanamatsu²⁶, Myra Keep²⁷, Arata Kioka²⁸, Cecilia McHugh²⁹, Aaron Micallef³⁰, Dhananjai Pandey³¹, Jean Noël Proust²¹, Yasufumi Satoguchi³², Derek Sawyer³³, Chloé Seibert³⁴, Maxwell Silver³⁵, Joonas Virtasalo³⁶, Yonghong Wang³⁷, Ting-Wei Wu^{13

38}, Sarah Zellers³⁹

Affiliations

¹ Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, and Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China.
² Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, and Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China. baorui@ouc.edu.cn.
³ University of Innsbruck, Institute of Geology, Innsbruck, Austria.
⁴ National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Geological Survey of Japan, Institute of Geology and Geoinformation, Ibaraki, 305-8567, Japan.
⁵ British Geological Survey, Lyell Centre, Edinburgh, EH14 4AP, UK.
⁶ Center for Deep Earth Exploration, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Kanagawa, 236-0001, Japan.
⁷ School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
⁸ Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Sciences, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point TAS, Churchill Ave, 7004, Australia.
⁹ NOSAMS Laboratory, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts, USA.
¹¹ RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Neotectonics and Natural Hazards & Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Petroleum and Coal, 52056, Aachen, Germany.
¹² Stony Brook University, Department of Geosciences, New York, 11794, USA.
¹³ MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Science, University of Bremen, Bremen, 28359, Germany.
¹⁴ Boone Pickens School of Geology, Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma, 74078, USA.
¹⁵ University of New Hampshire, Department of Earth Sciences, New Hampshire, 03824, USA.
¹⁶ Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Hadal Science and Technology, College of Marine Sciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China.
¹⁷ School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
¹⁸ Institute for Geosciences, University of Bonn, Nussallee 8, 53115, Bonn, Germany.
¹⁹ Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Geochemistry Division, New York, 10964, USA.
²⁰ Department of Life Science and Medical Bioscience, Waseda University, Tokyo, 162-0041, Japan.
²¹ Univ Rennes, CNRS, Géosciences Rennes, UMR 6118, 35000, Rennes, France.
²² Kyoto University, Department of Geology and Mineralogy, Division of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan.
²³ Geo-Ocean, UMR 6538, Univ Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, Plouzané, F-29280, France.
²⁴ Research Institute for Marine Geodynamics, JAMSTEC, Marine Geology and Geophysics Research Group, Subduction Dynamics Research Center, Kanagawa, 237-0061, Japan.
²⁵ International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-0845, Japan.
²⁶ Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Research Institute of Marine Geodynamics (IMG), Yokosuka, 237-0061, Japan.
²⁷ The University of Western Australia, Department School of Earth Sciences, Perth, Australia.
²⁸ Kyushu University, Department of Earth Resources Engineering, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.
²⁹ Queens College, City University of New York, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, New York, 11367, USA.
³⁰ GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, D-24148, Germany.
³¹ National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, Goa, 403 804, India.
³² Lake Biwa Museum, Shiga, 525-0001, Japan.
³³ The Ohio State University, School of Earth Sciences, Ohio, 43210, USA.
³⁴ Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Marine geology and geophysics division, New York, 10964, USA.
³⁵ Colorado School of Mines, Hydrologic Science and Engineering, Colorado, 80227, USA.
³⁶ Geological Survey of Finland (GTK), Espoo, 02151, Finland.
³⁷ Ocean University of China, Department of Marine Geosciences, Qingdao, 266100, China.
³⁸ Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, Oslo, Norway.
³⁹ University of Central Missouri, Department of Physical Sciences, Missouri, 64093, USA.

PMID: 37696798
PMCID: PMC10495447
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41116-w

Earthquake-enhanced dissolved carbon cycles in ultra-deep ocean sediments

Mengfan Chu et al. Nat Commun. 2023.

. 2023 Sep 11;14(1):5427.

doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-41116-w.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, and Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China.
² Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, and Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China. baorui@ouc.edu.cn.
³ University of Innsbruck, Institute of Geology, Innsbruck, Austria.
⁴ National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Geological Survey of Japan, Institute of Geology and Geoinformation, Ibaraki, 305-8567, Japan.
⁵ British Geological Survey, Lyell Centre, Edinburgh, EH14 4AP, UK.
⁶ Center for Deep Earth Exploration, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Kanagawa, 236-0001, Japan.
⁷ School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
⁸ Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Sciences, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point TAS, Churchill Ave, 7004, Australia.
⁹ NOSAMS Laboratory, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts, USA.
¹¹ RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Neotectonics and Natural Hazards & Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Petroleum and Coal, 52056, Aachen, Germany.
¹² Stony Brook University, Department of Geosciences, New York, 11794, USA.
¹³ MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Science, University of Bremen, Bremen, 28359, Germany.
¹⁴ Boone Pickens School of Geology, Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma, 74078, USA.
¹⁵ University of New Hampshire, Department of Earth Sciences, New Hampshire, 03824, USA.
¹⁶ Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Hadal Science and Technology, College of Marine Sciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China.
¹⁷ School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
¹⁸ Institute for Geosciences, University of Bonn, Nussallee 8, 53115, Bonn, Germany.
¹⁹ Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Geochemistry Division, New York, 10964, USA.
²⁰ Department of Life Science and Medical Bioscience, Waseda University, Tokyo, 162-0041, Japan.
²¹ Univ Rennes, CNRS, Géosciences Rennes, UMR 6118, 35000, Rennes, France.
²² Kyoto University, Department of Geology and Mineralogy, Division of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan.
²³ Geo-Ocean, UMR 6538, Univ Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, Plouzané, F-29280, France.
²⁴ Research Institute for Marine Geodynamics, JAMSTEC, Marine Geology and Geophysics Research Group, Subduction Dynamics Research Center, Kanagawa, 237-0061, Japan.
²⁵ International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-0845, Japan.
²⁶ Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Research Institute of Marine Geodynamics (IMG), Yokosuka, 237-0061, Japan.
²⁷ The University of Western Australia, Department School of Earth Sciences, Perth, Australia.
²⁸ Kyushu University, Department of Earth Resources Engineering, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.
²⁹ Queens College, City University of New York, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, New York, 11367, USA.
³⁰ GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, D-24148, Germany.
³¹ National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, Goa, 403 804, India.
³² Lake Biwa Museum, Shiga, 525-0001, Japan.
³³ The Ohio State University, School of Earth Sciences, Ohio, 43210, USA.
³⁴ Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Marine geology and geophysics division, New York, 10964, USA.
³⁵ Colorado School of Mines, Hydrologic Science and Engineering, Colorado, 80227, USA.
³⁶ Geological Survey of Finland (GTK), Espoo, 02151, Finland.
³⁷ Ocean University of China, Department of Marine Geosciences, Qingdao, 266100, China.
³⁸ Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, Oslo, Norway.
³⁹ University of Central Missouri, Department of Physical Sciences, Missouri, 64093, USA.

PMID: 37696798
PMCID: PMC10495447
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41116-w

Abstract

Hadal trenches are unique geological and ecological systems located along subduction zones. Earthquake-triggered turbidites act as efficient transport pathways of organic carbon (OC), yet remineralization and transformation of OC in these systems are not comprehensively understood. Here we measure concentrations and stable- and radiocarbon isotope signatures of dissolved organic and inorganic carbon (DOC, DIC) in the subsurface sediment interstitial water along the Japan Trench axis collected during the IODP Expedition 386. We find accumulation and aging of DOC and DIC in the subsurface sediments, which we interpret as enhanced production of labile dissolved carbon owing to earthquake-triggered turbidites, which supports intensive microbial methanogenesis in the trench sediments. The residual dissolved carbon accumulates in deep subsurface sediments and may continue to fuel the deep biosphere. Tectonic events can therefore enhance carbon accumulation and stimulate carbon transformation in plate convergent trench systems, which may accelerate carbon export into the subduction zones.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

**Fig. 1. Site map in the Japan Trench and IW geochemical parameters.**
a Location of twelve IODP 386 sites; b Alkalinity (blue), sulfate (red) and methane concentrations (black), and the ratios of methane to ethane and propane (C₁/(C₂ + C₃), gray) at the studied sites. The SMTZ are inferred by depths with minimum sulfate and methane concentrations and marked in gray. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

**Fig. 2. Lithologies, IW DOC (red) and DIC (black) concentrations, δ¹³C values and ¹⁴C ages of sediment cores at three IODP 386 Sites.**
Sites a M0081, b M0083 and c M0084 are collected from the southern, central and northern Japan Trench, respectively. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

**Fig. 3. DI¹⁴C ages vs. DO¹⁴C ages of IW samples from Sites M0081 (square), M0083 (circle), and M0084 (triangle).**
¹⁴C ages exhibit a linear relationship between DOC and DIC (R² = 0.98, p < 0.01). The pink shading illustrates 95% confidence band of the linear regression. IW depth is indicated by color bar. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

**Fig. 4. Conceptual models of the earthquake-enhanced carbon cycle in trench sediments and the shallow subduction zone.**
a Dissolved carbon dynamics in trench sediments are enhanced by earthquakes. (i) Sufficient dissolved carbon production facilitated by the combined effects of earthquake-triggered sediment deposition and compaction leads to (ii) larger DOC and DIC pools that are aging with depth, which result in (iii) enhanced microbial methanogenesis via fermentation and CO₂ reduction, and (iv) elevated SMTZ that enables methanogenesis at shallower depth. b The impact of earthquakes on the carbon cycle in the subduction zone. The purple star indicates megathrust earthquakes along the plate boundary, which trigger seismic remobilization of SOC to the trench. Carbon in the trench sediments enters the subduction zone and undergoes dehydration, forming carbon reservoirs during processes in the deep Earth.

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References

1. Plank T, Manning CE. Subducting carbon. Nature. 2019;574:343–352. - PubMed
1. Bao R, et al. Tectonically-triggered sediment and carbon export to the Hadal zone. Nat. Commun. 2018;9:121. - PMC - PubMed
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Earthquake-enhanced dissolved carbon cycles in ultra-deep ocean sediments

Affiliations

Earthquake-enhanced dissolved carbon cycles in ultra-deep ocean sediments

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources