Geochemical studies of bottom waters and sediments, including deep sea camera surveys and heat flow measurements, were conducted in the western Sagami Bay, central Japan, where dense clam (
Calyptogena soyoae) communities had been previously located by submersible observations. The bottom waters above the communities contained an order of magnitude higher CH
4 (360∼4200 nl kg
-1) than those at nearby stations a few kilometers away from the community site (∼130 nl kg
-1), implying significant fluid venting rich in CH
4 from the bottom at the very community site. The mean life of the seepage CH
4 in seawater was estimated to be several days by using a simple vertical diffusion model. Weak correlations were observed between the concentrations of CH
4 and trace metals such as Fe, Mn, Al, and Zn. It was found that the community site is characterized by anomalously high heat flow up to 1680 mW m
-2, suggesting volcanic heat sources below the site.
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