Document

Gas migration episodes observed during peridotite alteration in the Samail ophiolite, Oman.

Identifier
DOI: 10.1029/2022GL100395
Source
Geophysical Research Letters. v. 49, 21, 16, e2022GL100395
Contributors
Country
United States.
City
New Jersey
Publisher
John Wiley and Sons Inc.
Gregorian
2022-11-16
Language
English
English abstract
Serpentinization and carbonation of mantle rocks (peridotite alteration) are fundamentally important processes for a spectrum of geoscience topics, including arc volcanism, earthquake processes, chemosynthetic biological communities, and carbon sequestration. Data from a hydrophone array deployed in the Multi-Borehole Observatory (MBO) of the Oman Drilling Project demonstrates that free gas generated by peridotite alteration and/or microbial activity migrates through the formation in discrete bursts of activity. We detected several, minutes-long, swarms of gas discharge into Hole BA1B of the MBO over the course of a 9 month observation interval. The episodic nature of the migration events indicates that free gas accumulates in the permeable flow network, is pressurized, and discharges rapidly into the borehole when a critical pressure, likely associated with a capillary barrier at a flow constriction, is reached. Our observations reveal a dynamic mode of fluid migration during serpentinization, and highlight the important role that free gas can play in modulating pore pressure, fluid flow, and alteration kinetics during peridotite weathering.
ISSN
0094-8276
Category
Journal articles

Same Subject

Journal articles
2
0
Arafin, Sayyadul.
College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University.
2016-11-01
Journal articles
3
0
Lacinska, Alicja M.
Frontiers Media S. A.
2017-06-02
Journal articles
4
0
Boudier, Françoise.
Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
2018-09-01
Journal articles
4
0
Ambrose, Tyler K.
Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
2019-01-01