Evidence for gas hydrate-filled fractures forming at the sulfate-methane transition zone, Hikurangi subduction margin, New Zealand
Bibliographic record
Abstract
Using high-resolution X-ray computed tomography (X-CT) of sediment cores from International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 372 offshore New Zealand, we identify a network of near-vertical, low-density structures interpreted as relics of gas hydrate-filled fractures. These fractures occur at shallow depths near the sulfate-methane transition zone (SMTZ), with widths (thickness) ranging from 0.5 to 5 mm and vertical extents between 7 and 60 mm. They are characterized by diffuse boundaries and steep dip angles. In contrast to previously documented hydrate-filled fractures, which are typically larger (centimeter to meter scale) and located deeper within the sediment column, these findings suggest that hydrate fracture formation can initiate at much shallower depths. We propose that these fractures represent early-stage hydrate formation; these fractures may increase in size over time as microbial methane production increases. The formation, dissociation or dissolution of hydrate-filled fractures may alter sediment structure, fluid migration pathways, and microbial community dynamics during early diagenesis. Moreover, the existence of shallow, fracture-hosted gas hydrate could facilitate rapid methane transport to the seafloor if dissociated, with significant implications for climate-sensitive environments such as the Arctic. Similar features identified in other settings support the hypothesis that shallow hydrate-filled fractures may be widespread but remain underreported due to limited X-CT imaging of shallow sediment intervals in scientific drilling. Expanding the application of high-resolution X-CT scanning, particularly across the SMTZ, is crucial to improve detection and understanding of near-seafloor hydrate systems and their potential environmental impacts.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Open science | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| Research integrity | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.001 | 0.000 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".