11. Convergent margin cold seeps
Map ID Number: 11
Location: Convergent margin cold seeps are found on the East Coast of the North Island and the southeast and southwest coasts of the South Island.
Approximate area: Not
Description of area:
Cold seeps are methanogenic and
methylotrophic ecosystems. In buried sea
floor sediments, organic compounds derived
from marine life are chemically altered by
heat, pressure, and bacteria. The compounds
percolate upwards through the sediments to
be released as organic-enriched
fluids and
gases, e.g. methane.
Biological attributes:
Methane-rich seeps are home to siboglinid tubeworms and highly adapted suspension feeding bivalves, most of which are endemic.
Criteria applied:
Endemism; trophic distinctiveness; adaptation to extreme environment; special conditions and special organisms.
Status and management:
Not managed.
State of information:
Only the following paper has been published on New Zealand convergent-margin seeps.
References and further reading:
Lewis and Marshall (1996).