Articles | Volume 13, issue 15
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4491-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4491-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
11 Aug 2016
Research article |
| 11 Aug 2016
Massive asphalt deposits, oil seepage, and gas venting support abundant chemosynthetic communities at the Campeche Knolls, southern Gulf of Mexico
Department of Geosciences at the University of Bremen, Klagenfurter
Str., 28359 Bremen, Germany
MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, Leobener Str., 28359
Bremen, Germany
Christian Borowski
MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, Leobener Str., 28359
Bremen, Germany
Max-Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstr. 1, 28359
Bremen, Germany
Elva Escobar-Briones
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Ciencias
del Mar y Limnología, A. P. 70-305 Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Mexico
City, México
Adriana Gaytán-Caballero
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Ciencias
del Mar y Limnología, A. P. 70-305 Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Mexico
City, México
Chieh-Wei Hsu
Department of Geosciences at the University of Bremen, Klagenfurter
Str., 28359 Bremen, Germany
Markus Loher
MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, Leobener Str., 28359
Bremen, Germany
Ian MacDonald
Florida State University, P.O. Box 3064326, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
Yann Marcon
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholz Centre for Polar and Marine
Research, HGF-MPG Group for Deep Sea Ecology and Technology, Am Handelshafen
12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
Thomas Pape
Department of Geosciences at the University of Bremen, Klagenfurter
Str., 28359 Bremen, Germany
MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, Leobener Str., 28359
Bremen, Germany
Miriam Römer
Department of Geosciences at the University of Bremen, Klagenfurter
Str., 28359 Bremen, Germany
MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, Leobener Str., 28359
Bremen, Germany
Maxim Rubin-Blum
Max-Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstr. 1, 28359
Bremen, Germany
Florence Schubotz
MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, Leobener Str., 28359
Bremen, Germany
Daniel Smrzka
Center for Earth Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstr. 14, 1090
Vienna, Austria
Gunter Wegener
MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, Leobener Str., 28359
Bremen, Germany
Max-Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstr. 1, 28359
Bremen, Germany
Gerhard Bohrmann
Department of Geosciences at the University of Bremen, Klagenfurter
Str., 28359 Bremen, Germany
MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, Leobener Str., 28359
Bremen, Germany
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Cited
36 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Short-chain alkanes fuel mussel and sponge Cycloclasticus symbionts from deep-sea gas and oil seeps M. Rubin-Blum et al. 10.1038/nmicrobiol.2017.93
- Macrofauna abundance and diversity patterns of deep sea southwestern Gulf of Mexico O. Quintanar-Retama et al. 10.3389/fmars.2022.1033596
- Diverse oil and gas seeps in the southern Junggar Basin, NW China (piedmont Northern Tian Shan): Origins and links to tectono‐sedimentary evolution Y. Wang et al. 10.1002/gj.3598
- Depth-related patterns and regional diversity of free-living nematodes in the deep-sea Southwestern Gulf of Mexico M. Armenteros et al. 10.3389/fmars.2022.1023996
- Fueled by methane: deep-sea sponges from asphalt seeps gain their nutrition from methane-oxidizing symbionts M. Rubin-Blum et al. 10.1038/s41396-019-0346-7
- Fate of Methane Released From a Destroyed Oil Platform in the Gulf of Mexico M. Silva et al. 10.3389/feart.2022.833661
- Diversity and distribution patterns of macrofauna polychaetes (Annelida) in deep waters of the Southwestern Gulf of Mexico O. Quintanar-Retama et al. 10.1016/j.dsr.2022.103699
- Future challenges on focused fluid migration in sedimentary basins: Insight from field data, laboratory experiments and numerical simulations V. Vidal & A. Gay 10.4279/pip.140011
- Lessons from lipid biomarkers preserved in methane-seep carbonates from the early Permian of Western Australia S. Wang et al. 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2024.122343
- Mineral authigenesis within chemosynthetic microbial mats: Coated grain formation and phosphogenesis at a Cretaceous hydrocarbon seep, New Zealand J. Zwicker et al. 10.1002/dep2.123
- Trace elements in methane-seep carbonates: Potentials, limitations, and perspectives D. Smrzka et al. 10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103263
- Amount and Fate of Gas and Oil Discharged at 3400 m Water Depth From a Natural Seep Site in the Southern Gulf of Mexico M. Römer et al. 10.3389/fmars.2019.00700
- Discovery of asphalt seeps in the deep Southwest Atlantic off Brazil K. Fujikura et al. 10.1016/j.dsr2.2017.04.002
- Regional geological analysis of the southern deep Gulf of Mexico and northern Yucatán Shelf E. Miranda-Madrigal & G. Chávez-Cabello 10.1144/SP504-2020-1
- Self‐healing capacity of deep‐sea ecosystems affected by petroleum hydrocarbons A. Scoma et al. 10.15252/embr.201744090
- Natural Asphalt Seeps Are Potential Sources for Recalcitrant Oceanic Dissolved Organic Sulfur and Dissolved Black Carbon J. Brünjes et al. 10.1021/acs.est.2c01123
- Geological and biological diversity of seeps in the Sea of Marmara O. Hélène et al. 10.1016/j.dsr.2020.103287
- Genomic Insights Into the Lifestyles of Thaumarchaeota Inside Sponges M. Haber et al. 10.3389/fmicb.2020.622824
- Slow Volcanoes: The Intriguing Similarities Between Marine Asphalt and Basalt Lavas Y. Marcon et al. 10.5670/oceanog.2018.202
- Seafloor and buried mounds on the western slope of the Niger Delta U. Benjamin & M. Huuse 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2017.02.023
- Can hydrocarbons entrapped in seep carbonates serve as gas geochemistry recorder? M. Blumenberg et al. 10.1007/s00367-017-0522-6
- Seafloor sealing, doming, and collapse associated with gas seeps and authigenic carbonate structures at Venere mud volcano, Central Mediterranean M. Loher et al. 10.1016/j.dsr.2018.04.006
- Descriptive ecology of abyssal decapods from Chapopote Knoll (southwestern Gulf of Mexico) A. Gaytán-Caballero et al. 10.3389/fmars.2025.1534328
- Abundance and diversity patterns and environmental drivers of Peracarida (Arthropoda, Crustacea) macrofauna from the deep sea of the southwestern Gulf of Mexico O. Quintanar-Retama et al. 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2024.103977
- Heterogeneous hydrocarbon seepage at Mictlan asphalt knoll of the southern Gulf of Mexico C. Hsu et al. 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2021.105185
- Acoustically relevant properties of four crude oils at oceanographic temperatures and pressures S. Loranger et al. 10.1121/1.5078606
- Molecular and isotopic signatures of oil-driven bacterial sulfate reduction at seeps in the southern Gulf of Mexico N. Krake et al. 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2022.120797
- Bacteria Associated with Benthic Invertebrates from Extreme Marine Environments: Promising but Underexplored Sources of Biotechnologically Relevant Molecules A. Lo Giudice & C. Rizzo 10.3390/md20100617
- Anaerobic Degradation of Non-Methane Alkanes by “ Candidatus Methanoliparia” in Hydrocarbon Seeps of the Gulf of Mexico R. Laso-Pérez et al. 10.1128/mBio.01814-19
- Hydrocarbon‐derived thrombolites from the Outer Carpathians (Lower Cretaceous, Poland) S. Giunti et al. 10.1111/sed.13212
- Salt tectonics in the Sureste Basin, SE Mexico: some implications for hydrocarbon exploration I. Davison 10.1144/SP504-2019-227
- Hydrocarbon transformations in sediments from the Cathedral Hill hydrothermal vent complex at Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California – A chemometric study of shallow seep architecture C. Dalzell et al. 10.1016/j.orggeochem.2020.104173
- Modeling of Environmental Fate and Effects of Oil Leakages from Abandoned Subsea Wells Using an Environmental Impact Factor Tool H. Pham et al. 10.1002/ieam.4392
- Oil seepage and carbonate formation: A case study from the southern Gulf of Mexico D. Smrzka et al. 10.1111/sed.12593
- Carbon-sulfur signals of methane versus crude oil diagenetic decomposition and U-Th age relationships for authigenic carbonates from asphalt seeps, southern Gulf of Mexico S. Akam et al. 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2021.120395
- Characteristics and hydrocarbon seepage at the Challenger Knoll in the Sigsbee Basin, Gulf of Mexico C. Hsu et al. 10.1007/s00367-019-00595-x
36 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Short-chain alkanes fuel mussel and sponge Cycloclasticus symbionts from deep-sea gas and oil seeps M. Rubin-Blum et al. 10.1038/nmicrobiol.2017.93
- Macrofauna abundance and diversity patterns of deep sea southwestern Gulf of Mexico O. Quintanar-Retama et al. 10.3389/fmars.2022.1033596
- Diverse oil and gas seeps in the southern Junggar Basin, NW China (piedmont Northern Tian Shan): Origins and links to tectono‐sedimentary evolution Y. Wang et al. 10.1002/gj.3598
- Depth-related patterns and regional diversity of free-living nematodes in the deep-sea Southwestern Gulf of Mexico M. Armenteros et al. 10.3389/fmars.2022.1023996
- Fueled by methane: deep-sea sponges from asphalt seeps gain their nutrition from methane-oxidizing symbionts M. Rubin-Blum et al. 10.1038/s41396-019-0346-7
- Fate of Methane Released From a Destroyed Oil Platform in the Gulf of Mexico M. Silva et al. 10.3389/feart.2022.833661
- Diversity and distribution patterns of macrofauna polychaetes (Annelida) in deep waters of the Southwestern Gulf of Mexico O. Quintanar-Retama et al. 10.1016/j.dsr.2022.103699
- Future challenges on focused fluid migration in sedimentary basins: Insight from field data, laboratory experiments and numerical simulations V. Vidal & A. Gay 10.4279/pip.140011
- Lessons from lipid biomarkers preserved in methane-seep carbonates from the early Permian of Western Australia S. Wang et al. 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2024.122343
- Mineral authigenesis within chemosynthetic microbial mats: Coated grain formation and phosphogenesis at a Cretaceous hydrocarbon seep, New Zealand J. Zwicker et al. 10.1002/dep2.123
- Trace elements in methane-seep carbonates: Potentials, limitations, and perspectives D. Smrzka et al. 10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103263
- Amount and Fate of Gas and Oil Discharged at 3400 m Water Depth From a Natural Seep Site in the Southern Gulf of Mexico M. Römer et al. 10.3389/fmars.2019.00700
- Discovery of asphalt seeps in the deep Southwest Atlantic off Brazil K. Fujikura et al. 10.1016/j.dsr2.2017.04.002
- Regional geological analysis of the southern deep Gulf of Mexico and northern Yucatán Shelf E. Miranda-Madrigal & G. Chávez-Cabello 10.1144/SP504-2020-1
- Self‐healing capacity of deep‐sea ecosystems affected by petroleum hydrocarbons A. Scoma et al. 10.15252/embr.201744090
- Natural Asphalt Seeps Are Potential Sources for Recalcitrant Oceanic Dissolved Organic Sulfur and Dissolved Black Carbon J. Brünjes et al. 10.1021/acs.est.2c01123
- Geological and biological diversity of seeps in the Sea of Marmara O. Hélène et al. 10.1016/j.dsr.2020.103287
- Genomic Insights Into the Lifestyles of Thaumarchaeota Inside Sponges M. Haber et al. 10.3389/fmicb.2020.622824
- Slow Volcanoes: The Intriguing Similarities Between Marine Asphalt and Basalt Lavas Y. Marcon et al. 10.5670/oceanog.2018.202
- Seafloor and buried mounds on the western slope of the Niger Delta U. Benjamin & M. Huuse 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2017.02.023
- Can hydrocarbons entrapped in seep carbonates serve as gas geochemistry recorder? M. Blumenberg et al. 10.1007/s00367-017-0522-6
- Seafloor sealing, doming, and collapse associated with gas seeps and authigenic carbonate structures at Venere mud volcano, Central Mediterranean M. Loher et al. 10.1016/j.dsr.2018.04.006
- Descriptive ecology of abyssal decapods from Chapopote Knoll (southwestern Gulf of Mexico) A. Gaytán-Caballero et al. 10.3389/fmars.2025.1534328
- Abundance and diversity patterns and environmental drivers of Peracarida (Arthropoda, Crustacea) macrofauna from the deep sea of the southwestern Gulf of Mexico O. Quintanar-Retama et al. 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2024.103977
- Heterogeneous hydrocarbon seepage at Mictlan asphalt knoll of the southern Gulf of Mexico C. Hsu et al. 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2021.105185
- Acoustically relevant properties of four crude oils at oceanographic temperatures and pressures S. Loranger et al. 10.1121/1.5078606
- Molecular and isotopic signatures of oil-driven bacterial sulfate reduction at seeps in the southern Gulf of Mexico N. Krake et al. 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2022.120797
- Bacteria Associated with Benthic Invertebrates from Extreme Marine Environments: Promising but Underexplored Sources of Biotechnologically Relevant Molecules A. Lo Giudice & C. Rizzo 10.3390/md20100617
- Anaerobic Degradation of Non-Methane Alkanes by “ Candidatus Methanoliparia” in Hydrocarbon Seeps of the Gulf of Mexico R. Laso-Pérez et al. 10.1128/mBio.01814-19
- Hydrocarbon‐derived thrombolites from the Outer Carpathians (Lower Cretaceous, Poland) S. Giunti et al. 10.1111/sed.13212
- Salt tectonics in the Sureste Basin, SE Mexico: some implications for hydrocarbon exploration I. Davison 10.1144/SP504-2019-227
- Hydrocarbon transformations in sediments from the Cathedral Hill hydrothermal vent complex at Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California – A chemometric study of shallow seep architecture C. Dalzell et al. 10.1016/j.orggeochem.2020.104173
- Modeling of Environmental Fate and Effects of Oil Leakages from Abandoned Subsea Wells Using an Environmental Impact Factor Tool H. Pham et al. 10.1002/ieam.4392
- Oil seepage and carbonate formation: A case study from the southern Gulf of Mexico D. Smrzka et al. 10.1111/sed.12593
- Carbon-sulfur signals of methane versus crude oil diagenetic decomposition and U-Th age relationships for authigenic carbonates from asphalt seeps, southern Gulf of Mexico S. Akam et al. 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2021.120395
- Characteristics and hydrocarbon seepage at the Challenger Knoll in the Sigsbee Basin, Gulf of Mexico C. Hsu et al. 10.1007/s00367-019-00595-x
Saved (preprint)
Discussed (final revised paper)
Discussed (preprint)
Latest update: 22 Jul 2025
Short summary
We were excited about nature’s diversity when we discovered spectacular flows of heavy oil at the seafloor with the remotely operated vehicle QUEST 4000 m in Campeche Bay, southern Gulf of Mexico. Vigorous methane gas bubble emissions lead to massive gas hydrate deposits at water depth as deep as 3420 m. The hydrates formed metre-sized mounds at the seafloor that were densely overgrown by vestimentiferan tubeworms and other seep-typical organisms.
We were excited about nature’s diversity when we discovered spectacular flows of heavy oil at...
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