High-resolution isotopic records ( δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C) and cathodoluminescence study of lucinid shells from methane seeps of the Eastern Mediterranean

International audienceWe present high-resolution isotopic records and cathodoluminescence studies of recently dead and live bivalve specimens from cold seeps, in an attempt to reconstruct environmental conditions during organism growth, and thereby the possible variability of fluid-venting activity at the seafloor. Shells of the burrowing lucinid Myrtea aff. amorpha were collected at three localities near actively venting methane seeps in the Eastern Mediterranean deep sea, using the Nautile submersible during two French oceanographic cruises: from the Kazan mud volcano, in the vicinity of the Anaximander mounts (MEDINAUT cruise, 1998), and from the central pockmark province and the Amon mud volcano of the Nile deep-sea fan (NAUTINIL cruise, 2003). The oxygen and carbon isotope compositions of 18 shells from the various localities, and also from different sites at the same locality show a rather strong scatter (1.8 18O‰ 13C‰ 18O and δ13C values from the umbo to the actively growing ventral shell margin, which can be attributed to the commonly observed physiologically controlled deceleration of growth with increasing organism age, this metabolic effect corresponding to the increase of incorporation of respiratory CO2. A few shells exhibit high-frequency δ18O variations with an amplitude of about 1.5‰ that might be related to temperature variations controlled by fluid-venting activity. One shell from the pockmark province of the Nile deep-sea fan records a strong, sharp δ13C decrease of about 9‰, and extending over a 5-mm interval in the shell that can be related to a major methane release event. Another shell from the Kazan mud volcano exhibits a progressive increase of δ13C values from -10‰ to 0‰ with age, which might indicate decreasing methane flow throughout the organism's life. This study has demonstrated that bivalve shells from deep-sea cold seeps represent good indicators of variability in seepage activity of methane-rich fluids, at various scales in both space and time. Although the precise chronology of the observed events was not established, because shell growth rate is not known in this case, this remains a priority for future studies in such environments