Current Control
on Deep-Water Coral Mounds: Questioning an Emerging Paradigm
Eberli, Gregor P.1, Mark
Grasmueck1, Miriam S. Andres1, Thiago Correa1
(1)
Factors controlling the initiation and
maintenance of deep-water coral mounds are largely unknown and only explained
by two hypotheses. The methane hypothesis predicts that coral mounds initiate
above hydrocarbon seeps where microbial communities form the basis of the reef
ecosystem. The current hypothesis argues that particulate material transported
by currents is the main energy source for the corals. Drilling and subsequent
analyses of Challenger Mound (IODP Expedition 307) did not detect evidence of
methane. Consequently, the current hypothesis is now embraced and developing
into a paradigm that relates current strength to mound health, morphology and
height. A comprehensive data set collected with an Autonomous Underwater
Vehicle (AUV) across five mound fields in the
AAPG Search and Discover Article #90063©2007 AAPG Annual Convention, Long Beach, California