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Article

CaCO3 Deposition in the Surveyor Fan located in the Gulf of Alaska of the Northeast Pacific during the last 9 Ma

지난 9백만년 동안 북동태평양의 알라스카만에 위치한 서베이어 선상지의 탄산염 퇴적

YeWon Kim1
,
Tomohisa Irino2
,
Hirofumi Asahi3
,
Boo-Keun Khim14*
김 예원1
,
Irino Tomohisa2
,
Asahi Hirofumi3
,
김 부근14*
1Division of Earth and Environmental System, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
2Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
3Fukui Prefectural Satoyama‑Satoumi Research Institute, Wakasa 919‑1331, Japan
4Marine Research Institute, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
1부산대학교 자연과학대학 지구환경시스템학부 (46241) 부산광역시 금정구 부산대학로 63번길 2
2Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
3Fukui Prefectural Satoyama‑Satoumi Research Institute, Wakasa 919‑1331, Japan
4부산대학교 해양연구소 (46214) 부산광역시 금정구 부산대학로 63번길 2
*Corresponding Author
26 June 2026. pp. 1-14
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Abstract

Organic carbon and carbonate components in deep-sea sediments play a key role in sequestering carbon through diverse pathways and reactions within the marine carbon cycle. The objective of this study is to measure CaCO3 content of deep-sea sediments at Integrated Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Site U1417 in the Surveyor Fan located in the Gulf of Alaska (Northeast Pacific), in order to characterize CaCO3 deposition during the last 9 Ma. IODP Site U1417 was drilled at five holes (A, B, C, D, and E), and a total of 441 sediment samples for the measurement of CaCO3 content were collected from Holes U1417D and U1417E, while shipboard analytical results for the uppermost sediment interval were additionally used. The age model of IODP Site U1417 was constructed on board by integrating magnetostratigraphy and biostratigraphy based on diatoms, radiolarians, and foraminifera, showing ~9 Ma sedimentary record. CaCO3 content at IODP Site U1417 was remarkably low (mostly less than 5%), but intermittent intervals exhibited markedly higher concentrations (occasionally more than 20% and up to 60%). Based on X-ray diffraction analysis, the carbonate minerals were identified as calcite. A comparison between CaCO3 content and lithofacies of the sediments indicates that CaCO3 content is not associated with depositional processes. The persistently low CaCO3 content throughout the ~9 Ma sedimentary record without distinct glacial–interglacial fluctuations is attributed mainly to poor carbonate preservation due to the deep water depth (~4,200 m) at drilling site close to the carbonate compensation depth in the Northeast Pacific. Observation using Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy reveals that carbonate minerals with elevated CaCO3 content are primarily authigenic precipitates rather than biogenic fossils. The stable carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) isotopic compositions (~–21.6‰ and ~+4.9‰, respectively) of these carbonates are different from those of normal seawater biogenic carbonate, reflecting the influence of methane. In conclusion, during the last 9 Ma, the carbonate deposition in the Surveyor Fan in the Gulf of Alaska (Northeast Pacific) records the postdepostional formation of methane-derived inorganic carbonates through porewater geochemical reactions including anaerobic oxidation of methane, which plays a more significant role in the long-term marine carbon cycle rather than the supply of biogenic carbonates from the surface ocean.

Keywords
CaCO3
stable isotope
deep-sea fan
methane-derived carbonate
Gulf of Alaska
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Information
  • Publisher :Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국해양과학기술원
  • Journal Title :Ocean and Polar Research
  • Journal Title(Ko) :Ocean and Polar Research
  • Volume : 48
  • Pages :1-14
  • Received Date : 2026-02-23
  • Revised Date : 2026-05-17
  • Accepted Date : 2026-05-28
  • Published Date : 2026-06-26
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.4217/OPR.2026016
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