Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Morphology of the Two Unnamed Seamounts in the Arabian Basin and their Probable Tectonic Implications


Affiliations
1 National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Vasco da Gama, Goa 403 804, India
2 School of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Goa University, Taleigao Plateau, Goa 403 206, India
 

Newly acquired high resolution multibeam bathymetry data collected from Eastern Arabian Sea show the presence of two distinct, isolated seamounts (~27 km apart) in the flat Arabian Basin, west of Laccadive– Chagos Ridge. The seamount S1 with a relief of 1980 m from the adjacent seafloor has a linear ridge-like shape with NNE–SSW trend and is associated with craters and knolls near its base. Seamount S2 with a relief of 1830 m is conical in shape with steep slopes. Seismic characteristics imply that these two seamounts are extrusive volcanic features covered by thick pile of sediments along the flanks. The evolutionary history of the Arabian Basin and the tectonic fabric of the study area suggest that emplacement of the identified seamounts might be due to the Réunion hotspot volcanism.

Keywords

Morphology, Multibeam Bathymetry, Réunion Hotspot Volcanism, Seamounts.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • IOC-IHO, Standardization of undersea feature names, PUblication B-6, 2013, 4.1 edn, p. 18.

  • Wessel, P., Sandwell, D. T. and S.-S. K., The global seamount census. Oceanography, 2010, 23, 24–33.

  • Turnewitsch, R., Falahat, S., Nycander, J., Dale, A., Scott, R. B.and Furnival, D., Deep-sea fluid and sediment dynamics – influence of hill to seamount-scale sea floor topography. Earth-Sci. Rev., 2013, 127, 203–241.

  • Rivera, J. et al., Morphometry of concepcion bank: evidence of geological and biological processes on a large volcanic seamount of the Canary Islands Seamount Province. PLoS ONE, 2016, 11, 1–33.

  • Kodagali, V. N. and Sudhakar, M., Manganese nodule distribution in different topographic domains of the Central Indian Basin. Mar.Georesour. Geotechnol., 1993, 11, 293–309.

  • Sarma, K. V. L. N. S., Ramana, M. V., Subrahmanyam, V., Krishna, K. S., Ramprasad, T. and Desa, M., Seamounts an additional tool to confirm the nature of the crust and to locate possible mineral resources for dredging. Mar. Georesour. Geotechnol., 1998, 16, 41–51.

  • Bhattacharya, G. C. and Subrahmanyam, V., Geophysical study of a seamount located on the continental margin of India. Geo-Marine Lett., 1991, 11, 71–78.

  • Bhattacharya, G. C., Murty, G. P. S., Srinivas, K., Chaubey, A. K., Sudhakar, T. and Nair, R. R., Swath bathymetric investigation of the seamounts located in the laxmi basin, eastern arabian sea. Mar. Geod., 1994, 17, 169–182.

  • Mukhopadhyay, R., Rajesh, M., De, S., Chakraborty, B. and Jau-hari, P., Structural highs on the western continental slope of India: Implications for regional tectonics. Geomorphology, 2008, 96, 48– 61.

  • Sreejith, K. M., Chaubey, A. K., Mishra, A., Kumar, S. and Rajawat, A. S., Pseudofaults and associated seamounts in the conjugate Arabian and Eastern Somali basins, NW Indian Ocean – New constraints from high-resolution satellite-derived gravity data. J. Asian Earth Sci., 2016, 131, 1–11.

  • Bijesh, C. M., John Kurian, P., Yatheesh, V., Tyagi, A. and Twinkle, D., Morphotectonic characteristics, distribution and probable genesis of bathymetric highs off southwest coast of India. Geo-morphology, 2018, 315, 33–44.

  • Weatherall, P. et al., A new digital bathymetric model of the world’s oceans. Earth Sp. Sci., 2015, 2, 331–345.

  • Becker, J. J. et al., Global bathymetry and elevation data at 30 arc seconds resolution: SRTM30_PLUS. Mar. Geod., 2009, 32, 355– 371.

  • McKenzie, D. and Sclater, J. G., The evolution of the Indian Ocean since the Late Cretaceous. Geophys. J. Int., 1971, 24, 437– 528.

  • Norton, I. O. and Sclater, J. G., A model for the evolution of the Indian Ocean and the breakup of Gondwanaland. J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth, 1979, 84, 6803–6830.

  • Miles, P. R. and Roest, W. R., Earliest sea-floor spreading magnetic anomalies in the north Arabian Sea and the ocean-continent transition. Geophys. J. Int., 1993, 115, 1025–1031.

  • Chaubey, A. K., Bhattacharya, G. C., Murty, G. P. S. and Desa, M., Spreading history of the Arabian Sea: some new constraints. Mar. Geol., 1993, 112, 343–352.

  • Chaubey, A. K., Dyment, J., Bhattacharya, G. C., Royer, J.-Y., Srinivas, K. and Yatheesh, V., Paleogene magnetic isochrons and palaeo-propagators in the Arabian and Eastern Somali basins, NW Indian Ocean. Geol. Soc. London, Spec. Publ., 2002, 195, 71–85.

  • Whitmarsh, R. B. et al., Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project, 23, Washington, US Government Printing Office, 1974.

  • Ajay, K. K., Chaubey, A. K., Krishna, K. S., Rao, D. G. and Sar, D., Seaward dipping reflectors along the SW continental margin of India: Evidence for volcanic passive margin. J. Earth Syst. Sci., 2010, 119, 803–813.

  • Tolan, T. L., Reidel, S. P., Beeson, M. H., Anderson, J. L., Fecht, K. R. and Swanson, D. A., Revisions to the estimates of the areal extent and volume of the Columbia River Basalt Group. Spec.Pap. Geol. Soc. Am., 1989, 239, 1–20.

  • Storey, M., Mahoney, J. J., Saunders, A. D., Duncan, R. A., Kelley, S. P. and Coffin, M. F., Timing of hot spot-related volcanism and the breakup of madagascar and India. Science, 1995, 267, 852–855.

  • Gee, J. S., Diego, S. and Jolla, L., Source of oceanic magnetic anomalies and the geomagnetic polarity timescale. Treatise Geophys., 2007, 5, 455–507.

  • Muller, R. D., Royer, J. Y. and Lawver, L. A., Revised plate motions relative to the hotspots from combined Atlantic and Indian Ocean hotspot tracks. Geology, 1993, 21, 275–278.


Abstract Views: 419

PDF Views: 162




  • Morphology of the Two Unnamed Seamounts in the Arabian Basin and their Probable Tectonic Implications

Abstract Views: 419  |  PDF Views: 162

Authors

C. M. Bijesh
National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Vasco da Gama, Goa 403 804, India
P. John Kurian
School of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Goa University, Taleigao Plateau, Goa 403 206, India

Abstract


Newly acquired high resolution multibeam bathymetry data collected from Eastern Arabian Sea show the presence of two distinct, isolated seamounts (~27 km apart) in the flat Arabian Basin, west of Laccadive– Chagos Ridge. The seamount S1 with a relief of 1980 m from the adjacent seafloor has a linear ridge-like shape with NNE–SSW trend and is associated with craters and knolls near its base. Seamount S2 with a relief of 1830 m is conical in shape with steep slopes. Seismic characteristics imply that these two seamounts are extrusive volcanic features covered by thick pile of sediments along the flanks. The evolutionary history of the Arabian Basin and the tectonic fabric of the study area suggest that emplacement of the identified seamounts might be due to the Réunion hotspot volcanism.

Keywords


Morphology, Multibeam Bathymetry, Réunion Hotspot Volcanism, Seamounts.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv118%2Fi7%2F1118-1123