Expedition on board the RV “G. Yu. Vereshchagin” from August 30 to September 02, 2022

The expeditionary works were carried out on board the RV “G. Yu. Vereshchagin” in the hydrocarbon discharge zones of Southern and Middle Baikal within the State Assignment “Studies of functioning of hydrate, oil and gaseous hydrocarbon systems and associated microbial communities in Lake Baikal” (project № 0279–2021–0006) (directed by T. Zemskaya, O. Khlystov).

The aim of the expedition was to obtain new geological data on hydrate-bearing and oil systems.

Within the fieldworks the geological sampling of the supporting hydrate- and oil-bearing structures was carried out using gravity pipes (of 3.5 and 5 meters length) in the area of the Zelenovskaya River and in new zones of Goly Cape, the Gidratny Fault, and Posolskiy Canyon. More than 30 cores of the bottom sediments were collected.

The contouring of the zone of the bottom sediments with oil was conducted in the area of the Zelenovskaya River oil seep; there were obtained additional cores for the hydrate-bearing structures of Melky and Zelenovsky Seep.

Ten cores samples were collected at Posolskiy Canyon; also, a profile sampling to determine the differences in sediments in the canyon bed and its sides was conducted. A new hydrate-bearing structure of Lake Baikal – Posolskiy Canyon -3 was discovered.

A part of the core samples were brought to LIN SB RAS for more detailed lithological and diatom analysis.