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First direct evidence of methane seepage and associated chemosynthetic communities in the bathyal zone off Chile

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 October 2004

Javier Sellanes ,
Eduardo Quiroga  and
Víctor A. Gallardo
Javier Sellanes
Affiliation:
Center for Oceanographic Research in the Eastern-South Pacific (COPAS), University of Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile
Eduardo Quiroga
Affiliation:
Doctorate Program in Oceanography, University of Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile
Víctor A. Gallardo
Affiliation:
Center for Oceanographic Research in the Eastern-South Pacific (COPAS), University of Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile
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Abstract

The occurrence of an area of methane seepage off Chile is reported for the first time. Shell fragments of two species of bivalves of the genus Calyptogena and one species of Acharax were retrieved in dredge hauls from 651 to 934 m depth off Concepción (≈36°S). A large quantity of carbonate blocks was also collected, indicating anaerobic oxidation of methane in the sediment. The accompanying, non-chemosynthetic fauna from one of the hauls was diverse, containing some species new to science. Our preliminary data suggests an assemblage similar in structure to those reported elsewhere, albeit with an important endemic component.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 84 , Issue 5 , October 2004 , pp. 1065 - 1066
Copyright
2004 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

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