Eocene deep-sea communities in localized limestones formed by subduction-related methane seeps, southwestern Washington

Densely populated communities of soft-bottom-dwelling taxa similar to those found today along subduction zones off the coasts of Japan and Oregon have been discovered in very localized deep-water limestones of late middle to late Eocene age along the southwestern margin of Washington. Subduction was...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geology (Boulder) 1990, Vol.18 (12), p.1182-1185
Main Authors: Goedert, James L, Squires, Richard L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
aliphatic hydrocarbons
alkanes
Bivalvia
Calyptogena
carbonate rocks
Cenozoic
Cliff Point Siltstone
communities
deep-sea environment
Eocene
Gastropoda
Geology
Grays Harbor County Washington
Humptulips Formation
hydrocarbons
Invertebrata
limestone
Lincoln Creek Formation
Marine
marine environment
methane
Modiolus
Mollusca
organic compounds
Pacific County Washington
paleoecology
Paleogene
Paleontology
Porifera
Prehistoric era
sedimentary rocks
southwestern Washington
stratigraphy
subduction zones
Tertiary
Thyasira
United States
Vermes
Washington
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Summary:Densely populated communities of soft-bottom-dwelling taxa similar to those found today along subduction zones off the coasts of Japan and Oregon have been discovered in very localized deep-water limestones of late middle to late Eocene age along the southwestern margin of Washington. Subduction was prevalent in this area during this time, and compressive forces squeezed subsurface methanerich waters onto the ocean floor, where opportunistic bivalves (especially #ITModiolus#ME, #ITCalyptogena#ME, and #ITThyasira#ME), vestimentiferan? tube worms, serpufid tube worms, siliceous sponges, very small limpets, trochid and turbinid archaeogastropods, and other macrobenthos colonized. These assemblages are the earliest recorded biologic communities formed in response to methane seeps in subduction zones.
ISSN:0091-7613
1943-2682
DOI:10.1130/0091-7613(1990)018<1182:EDSCIL>2.3.CO;2