Estimation of the depth of origin of fluids using noble gases in the surface sediments of submarine mud volcanoes off Tanegashima Island

The helium isotope ratio ((3)He/(4)He), concentration ratio of neon-20 to helium-4 ((20)Ne/(4)He), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), and xenon (Xe) concentrations were measured in the porewater of surface sediments of several submarine mud volcanoes. From the (3)He/(4)He values (0.18–0.93R(A)), the estimated He origin is almost 90% crustal He, with little contribution from mantle-derived He. The determined Ar, Kr, and Xe concentrations lie within the solubility equilibrium range expected for temperatures from 83 °C up to 230 °C and are consistent with the temperature range of the dehydration origin of clay minerals. Considering the geothermal gradient in the investigated region (25 °C/km), these gases are considered to have reached dissolution equilibrium at a depth of about 3.3 km to 9.2 km below the seafloor. As the depth of the plate boundary is 18 km below the seafloor, the noble gas signatures are likely to originate from the crust, not from the plate boundary. This is consistent with the results presented by the He isotope ratios.