The Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the Scotia Sea area

<p>The breakup of the southern edge of Gondwanaland resulted in the formation of the Scotia Plate and the opening of Drake Passage throughout the Cenozoic. During the same period, the Tasman Seaway opened, although the timing of this opening is much better constrained. Rapid cooling of the Antarctic continent followed the openings of Drake Passage and the Tasman Seaway. The opening of Drake Passage or the Tasman seaway allowed the onset of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which is held responsible for the late Miocene global cooling, but discussions about the most important opening are still ongoing.</p><p>The opening of Drake Passage and the development of the Scotia plate have been studied in multitude, but paleogeographic reconstructions show many differences and inconsistencies in both timing of opening Drake Passage as well as paleo-locations of crustal segments. The paleogeographic or tectonic reconstructions of the opening of Drake Passage and the formation of the Scotia plate are hard to compare, because differences in shapes of crustal segments, geographic projections and relative movements of segments chosen by previous authors make it difficult to observe similarities and differences between the different reconstructions.</p><p>We present a thorough analysis of the previously published paleogeographic reconstructions with the aim to identify agreements and inconsistencies between these reconstructions. We re-defined the crustal segments that formed after the break-up of Gondwanaland by re-interpreting the bathymetry and magnetic anomalies of the study area. We re-modelled and compared georeferenced reconstructions from earlier studies in GPlates plate reconstruction software using our own defined crustal segments.</p><p>This comparison shows that the different reconstructions agree quite well along the South Scotia Ridge, but that the North Scotia Ridge shows significant variations between different reconstructions or is not even considered in the reconstructions. Also, the nature and age of the crust of the Central Scotia Sea is heavily discussed, resulting in different opening scenarios. We argue that the tectonic evolution of the North Scotia Ridge and Central Scotia Sea is a crucial factor in identifying the timing of the development of an ocean gateway. We made a new tectonic reconstruction of the North Scotia Ridge crustal segments with less overlaps and gaps between the reconstructed crustal segments.</p><p>The next step would be to compare the global sea-level changes and paleo-bathymetry with the different opening scenarios. Because we standardized all scenarios with the same crustal segments, we will then be able to provide opening ages of Drake Passage for the different scenarios that can be compared in a quantitative way.</p>

Geological mapping in the offshore domain: unravelling the tectonic history of the Scotia Sea

<p>We produced the first geological map of the Scotia Sea area based on the available geophysical and geological data. Combining magnetic, Bouguer gravity anomaly and high-resolution bathymetric data with geological data from dredged samples allowed us to map lithologies and structural features in this mostly submerged and complex tectonic area. This geological map allowed us to integrate a very inter-disciplinary dataset, thereby reviewing the available data and addressing some of the still persisting geological challenges and controversies in the area.</p><p>One of the most important and persistent discussions is the nature and age of the Central Scotia Sea. We mapped this part of the Scotia Sea as basaltic-andesitic lithology partly covered by thick, oceanic sediments. This differs in lithology from the West and East Scotia Sea, which we mapped as a basaltic lithology. Based on our lithological map, its unusual thickness and the presence of the Ancestral South Sandwich Arc (ASSA, early Oligocene-late Miocene) we argue that Central Scotia Sea has an Eocene to earliest Oligocene age.</p><p>Cross-sections combining the geology, crustal structure and mantle tomography reveal high velocity anomalies and colder mantle material below the structural highs along the South Scotia Ridge (Terror Rise, Pirie Bank, Bruce Bank and Discovery Bank) and below the South Sandwich Islands. We interpreted those as the southern, stagnated part of the subducting slab of the South Sandwich Trench, following the geometry of Jane Basin and the currently active subducting slab at the South Sandwich Trench. Low velocity anomalies are observed below Drake Passage and the East Scotia Sea, which are interpreted as warmer toroidal mantle flow around the slab edges below the Chilean trench and the South Sandwich trench.</p><p>Based on our geological map and integrated cross-sections we propose a multi-phase evolution of the Scotia Sea area with Eocene or older oceanic crust for the Central Scotia Sea. A first wide-rift-phase initiated before 30 Ma in the West Scotia Ridge, Protector Basin, Dove Basin and Jane Basin either as a result of the diverging South American and Antarctic continents and/or due to subduction rollback that commenced soon after subduction initiation that eventually caused the ASSA to form. The first full spreading center developed in the West Scotia Sea, aided by the warmer toroidal mantle flow causing spreading to be abandoned in the other basins (~30 Ma). A second rift phase in the fore-arc, in between the ASSA and the South Sandwich trench (~20 Ma), initiated through a redistribution of far-field forces as a result of continuous trench retreat. The warmer toroidal mantle concentrated on the East Scotia Ridge resulting in the second spreading system (15 Ma), abandoning the West Scotia Ridge spreading system 6-10 Ma.</p><p>We show that it is possible to create a geological map in a very remote area with an extreme environment with the available geological and geophysical data. This new way of producing geological maps in the offshore domain provides a better insight into the geological history of geologically complex areas that are largely submerged.</p>

On the systematics and ecology of two new species of Provanna (Gastropoda: Provannidae) from deep-sea hydrothermal vents in the Caribbean Sea and Southern Ocean

ABSTRACT The recent discovery and exploration of deep-sea hydrothermal vent fields in the Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre, Caribbean Sea (Beebe Vent Field, 4956–4972 m depth) and the East Scotia Ridge, Southern Ocean (E2 and E9 vent fields, 2394–2641 m depth) have yielded extensive collections of two new provannid species, Provanna beebei n. sp. and P. cooki n. sp. Morphological and molecular taxonomy (530 bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene) confirm P. beebei n. sp. and P. cooki n. sp. as distinct species; these species are formally described, and details are provided of their distribution, habitat and species associations. Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses support the placement of P. beebei n. sp. and P. cooki n. sp within the genus Provanna and show that these two new deep-sea species form a well-supported clade with the abyssal West Pacific P. cingulata. Provanna beebei n. sp. and P. cooki n. sp. represent the first records of Provanna from hydrothermal vents in the Caribbean Sea and Southern Ocean, respectively, and extend the known geographic range of the genus. For the first time, intraspecific phenotypic variation in size and sculpture has been reported for Provanna. At the East Scotia Ridge, shell-size frequency distributions and median shell size of P. cooki n. sp. varied significantly between the E2 and E9 vent fields, as well as between diffuse flow and high-temperature venting habitats within each field. The variation in shell sculpture in relation to habitat was also observed in P. cooki n. sp.

Metagenomic Characterization of the Viral Community of the South Scotia Ridge

Viruses are the most abundant biological entities in aquatic ecosystems and harbor an enormous amount of genetic diversity. Whereas their influence on marine ecosystems is widely acknowledged, current information about their diversity remains limited. We conducted a viral metagenomic analysis of water samples collected during the austral summer of 2016 from the South Scotia Ridge (SSR), near the Antarctic Peninsula. The taxonomic composition and diversity of the viral communities were investigated, and a functional assessment of the sequences was performed. Phylotypic analysis showed that most viruses belonged to the order Caudovirales, especially the family Podoviridae (41.92–48.7%), which is similar to the situation in the Pacific Ocean. Functional analysis revealed a relatively high frequency of phage-associated and metabolism genes. Phylogenetic analyses of phage TerL and Capsid_NCLDV (nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses) marker genes indicated that many sequences associated with Caudovirales and NCLDV were novel and distinct from known phage genomes. High Phaeocystis globosa virus virophage (Pgvv) signatures were found and complete and partial Pgvv-like were obtained, which influence host–virus interactions. Our study expands existing knowledge of viral communities and their diversities from the Antarctic region and provides basic data for further exploring polar microbiomes.

Metagenomic Characterization of the Viral Community of the South Scotia Ridge

Viruses are the most abundant biological entities in aquatic ecosystems and harbor an enormous genetic diversity. While their great influence on the marine ecosystems is widely acknowledged, current information about their diversity remains scarce. A viral metagenomic analysis of three water samples was conducted from sites on the South Scotia Ridge (SSR) near the Antarctic Peninsula, during the austral summer 2016. The taxonomic composition and diversity of the viral communities were investigated and a functional assessment of the sequences was determined. Phylotypic analysis showed that most viruses belonging to the order Caudovirales, especially the family Podoviridae (41.92-48.7%), similar to the viromes from the Pacific Ocean. Functional analysis revealed a relatively high frequency of phage-associated and metabolism genes. Phylogenetic analyses of phage TerL and Capsid_NCLDV (nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses) marker genes indicated that many sequences associated with Caudovirales and NCLDV were novel and distinct from known phage genomes. High Phaeocystis globosa virus virophage (Pgvv) signatures were found in SSR area and complete and partial Pgvv-like were obtained which may have an influence on host-virus interactions. Our study expands the existing knowledge of viral communities and their diversities from the Antarctic region and provides basic data for further exploring polar microbiomes.

Metagenomic characterization of the viral community of the South Scotia Ridge

Viruses are the most abundant biological entities in aquatic ecosystems and harbor an enormous genetic diversity. While their great influence on the marine ecosystems is widely acknowledged, current information about their diversity remains scarce. Aviral metagenomic analysis of two surfaces and one bottom water sample was conducted from sites on the South Scotia Ridge (SSR) near the Antarctic Peninsula, during the austral summer 2016. The taxonomic composition and diversity of the viral communities were investigated and a functional assessment of the sequences was determined. Phylotypic analysis showed that most viruses belonging to the order Caudovirales, in particular, the family Podoviridae (41.92-48.7%), which is similar to the viral communities from the Pacific Ocean. Functional analysis revealed a relatively high frequency of phage-associated and metabolism genes. Phylogenetic analyses of phage TerL and Capsid_NCLDV (nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses) marker genes indicated that many of the sequences associated with Caudovirales and NCLDV were novel and distinct from known complete phage genomes. High Phaeocystis globosa virus virophage (Pgvv) signatures were found in SSR area and complete and partial Pgvv-like were obtained which may have an influence on host-virus interactions in the area during summer. Our study expands the existing knowledge of viral communities and their diversities from the Antarctic region and provides basic data for further exploring polar microbiomes.ImportanceIn this study, we used high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analysis to analyze the viral community structure and biodiversity of SSR in the open sea near the Antarctic Peninsula. The results showed that the SSR viromes are novel, oceanic-related viromes and a high proportion of sequence reads was classified as unknown. Among known virus counterparts, members of the order Caudovirales were most abundant which is consistent with viromes from the Pacific Ocean. In addition, phylogenetic analyses based on the viral marker genes (TerL and MCP) illustrate the high diversity among Caudovirales and NCLDV. Combining deep sequencing and a random subsampling assembly approach, a new Pgvv-like group was also found in this region, which may a signification factor regulating virus-host interactions.

A new species of Raricirrus (Annelida: Cirratuliformia) from deep-water sunken wood off California

The genus Raricirrus is characterized by the absence of feeding palps, presence of filamentous branchiae, posterior segments shorter and wider than preceding ones, and by having diverse types of chaetae, including serrate capillaries, long natatory capillaries, falcate and finely pectinate, coarsely serrate chaetae and simple curved spines. A new species of Raricirrus is proposed based on morphological and mitochondrial DNA data. The K2P distance comparison of 16S and COI sequences from Raricirrus specimens collected from sunken wood in the deep-sea (3100 m) off Monterey, California, differed in less than 0.02 in both loci from those of another undescribed Raricirrus species collected at deep-sea hydrothermal vents in the East Scotia Ridge, Southern Ocean, and they are considered conspecific. This species is unique among its congeners by the lack of serrate chaetae, presence of acicular spines and neuropodial capillaries. Raricirrus jennae sp. nov. has only long capillaries on anterior notopodia, straight acicular spines with companion capillaries on posterior notopodia (from chaetigers 15–20), and similar acicular spines and companion capillaries throughout neuropodia. Raricirrus jennae sp. nov. appears to be an opportunistic and widely distributed species. The genus Raricirrus is emended to include the presence of acicular spines and keys to all cirratulid and ctenodrilid genera and Raricirrus species are presented.

The Origin of Back-Arc Spreading in The Eastern Edge of Scotia Plate

The origin and evolution of back-arc spreading in the eastern edge of Scotia Plate will be discussed in this paper. The Scotia Plate is a tectonicplate on the edge of the South Atlantic and Southern Ocean, located between the South American and Antartic plates. The East Scotia Ridge (ESR) in the eastern edge of Scotia Plate, forned due to subduction of the South American plate beneath the South Sandwich plate along the South Sandwich Island arc. The methods and techniques of data acquisition used were data from absolution motions and data from magnetic anomalies and bathymetric data. Magnetic anomalies and bathymetric data that used in this paper consist of two sets data. First, magnetic anomalies and bathymetric data which were obtained by aboard HMS Endurance in the 1969-70 austral summer, and the second, magnetic anomalies and bathymetric data which were obtained after removal of the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF). Absolution motion analyses in the subduction zones of Sandwich plate results that form back-arc spreading in East Scotia Ridge showing high deformation for slow moving upper plates. Where back-arc spreading is associated with upper plate retreat that reaches 26.9 mm/year and have back-arc deformation style consistent with upper plate absolute. Key Words: Geological oceanography, Scotia plate, back-arc spreading