Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Professors Publish Article on Discovery in Southern Gulf of Mexico
By Steve Paschal

Asphalt “volcanoes” recently discovered in the southern Gulf of Mexico may well support a much more diverse range of sea life than previously believed and could be an indication of untapped oil reserves, according to two Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi professors. Dr. Ian MacDonald, professor of environmental science, and Thomas Naehr, assistant professor of geology and environmental science, describe their findings in an article, titled “Asphalt Volcanism and Chemosynthetic Life in the Campeche Knolls, Gulf of Mexico,” in the May 14 issue of Science, the publication of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Naehr and MacDonald were part of a German, Mexican and U.S. expedition aboard the German ship RV Sonne when the discovery was made on Nov. 1, 2003 in a region called Campeche Knolls northwest of the Yucatan Peninsula. They found huge lava-like flows of asphalt in a site dubbed “Chapopote,” the Aztec word for tar. Dense colonies of tubeworms grew in faults and fissures throughout the asphalt and abundant mussels, clams and crustaceans rounded out a thriving community which derives its life from the chemical energy associated with the asphalt.

“Prior to our discovery of ‘Chapopote,’ nobody knew that asphalt volcanism even existed in the deep sea,” said Naehr. “Our findings illustrate how geologically diverse and active our planet is and how many discoveries are still waiting for scientists in the Gulf and elsewhere.”

Asphalt, an overcooked petroleum substance, is prominent in the area. The asphalt deposits in the Campeche offshore oil fields are the result of a violent expulsion of hydrocarbons and indicate untapped deep-water oil reserves. Currently, the Mexican oil industry has limited its offshore activity to shallow-water drilling, but that could change with this discovery.

“In stark contrast to Mars, where scientists are looking for evidence of past life, our planet is still evolving and in the grip of the geologic process,” said MacDonald. “The deep sea has an endless capacity to surprise us and we are finding new styles of geology, new biological processes and new habitats for life.

“Violent asphalt volcanism in a region of the southern Gulf of Mexico that was believed to be relatively stable shows how much more there is to learn about the deep sea. The abundance of animal life is more proof of the adaptability of marine organisms.”

The findings could greatly expand the catalogue of marine life when the updated U.S. Fish and Wildlife Bulletin titled The Gulf of Mexico – Its Origin, Waters and Marine Life is published by Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies within the next two years. This effort is part of a worldwide project called the Census of Marine Life.

“The typical idea is that the ocean is the most boring place on earth- no light, precious little food, and no geologic processes except for the incredibly slow accumulation of sediments,” MacDonald said. “Yet, in Chapopote we see hills literally split by energetic events that spewed great sheets of asphalt and continue to leak oil out to the surface waters. Chapopote is more evidence that this planet is alive from top to bottom. There is no place on Earth where life is absent; wherever life gets the slightest foothold, it will adapt and blossom.”