Composition and structure of mud volcanic deposits in Lake Baikal: the Class@Baikal Project data report

Abstract

The Lake Baikal sedimentary basin is characterized by a presence of oil and gas seepages. Oligocene-Miocene oil-and-gas source rocks are inferred for the basin. It can be assumed that the study of deposits of mud volcanoes (mud breccia) of Lake Baikal may indicate the roots of mud volcanoes (MVs), which should correspond to oil and gas source rocks, as it works in classical examples of mud volcanoes. Study of mud breccia of Lake Baikal shows that MVs roots are much shallower in sedimentary section than a potential source of hydrocarbons. In addition, the results of these studies are consistent and supplement with existing ideas about a mechanism of the Lake Baikal mud volcanoes. Understanding of the Lake Baikal mud volcanoes will allow getting more precise idea of both the structure of the sedimentary strata of the lake and phenomenon of mud volcanism in general.