MARGES - Marine Geology of the Gulf of San Jorge: Overview of preliminary results

ST-ONGE, G; MONTERO-SERRANO, JC; DESIAGE, P-A; SÁNCHEZ, N; HALLER, MJ

Comodoro Rivadavia

Encuentro; ENCUENTRO INTERNACIONAL SOBRE RECURSOS DEL MAR: Conocimiento Científico e Innovación Tecnológica para un Desarrollo Sustentable; 2015

Secretaría de Ciencia y Técnica, Chubut

In 2014, ~2000 km of geophysical data, as well as 62 sediment samples were collected on board the R/V Coriolis II as part of the MARGES (Marine Geology of the Gulf of San Jorge) Expedition in the Gulf of San Jorge. The geophysical data included multibeam bathymetry and marine seismics (subbottom profiler and sparker), whereas sediment samples were collected using a grab sampler, box, gravity and piston cores in order to: 1) determine the nature and architecture of the sediments of the Gulf as a baseline before oil and gas exploitation, 2) acquire bathymetric data in two areas of the Parque Interjurisdiccional Marino Costero Patagonia Austral, 3) determine potential natural hazards (e.g., pockmarks, submarine mass-movements), and 4) reconstruct climatic, oceanographic, aeolian, volcanic and geomagnetic variations during the Quaternary. Here, we will present preliminary data obtained onboard, as well as in the laboratory during the last year. The new data include the physical, mineralogical, sedimentological and magnetic properties of surface sediments and sediment cores and shed light on the nature of the seafloor and on the recent sedimentary processes in the Gulf of San Jorge, while ongoing geochronological (14C and 210Pb) analyses will provide insights into the Quaternary stratigraphy. The objective is to use these preliminary data to foster and strengthen collaboration between Argentinean and Canadian researchers for the complementary study of specific sediment cores and/or time intervals to develop a detailed and high-resolution multiproxy approach.