Deep-towed sonar survey over mud diapir structure off southwest Taiwan

For the first time, we use a deep-towed sonar system to study mud diapir structure at a water depth of about 450 meters off SW Taiwan. Three survey profiles where collected with high resolution that we deployed our sidescan sonar, chirp sonar and magnetometer at about 30 meters above seafloor. The results show structures related to mud volcanoes, mud diapirs and gas venting chimneys off SW Taiwan. It suggests that mud volcanoes or mud diapirs are closely related to the formation of gas venting. Near these mud volcanoes, a lot of high backscatter zones are present, suggesting that those features were probably caused by authigenic carbonates. Seafloor slumping are also found and are believed to be happened because of fluid activity.