Project Details
Projekt
Hydrothermal fluid-rock interaction in the upper mantle at the mid-atlantic ridge, ODP Leg 209
Applicant
Dr. Holger Paulick
Subject Area
Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry
Term
from 2003 to 2009
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5411680
The ultra-slow spreading mid-Atlantic ridge segments adjacent to the 15°20' transform fault are characterized by regional scale exposures of mantle peridotites on the seafloor. These mantle rocks have been exhumed by tectonic movements along low-angle normal faults due to extensional strain. Exothermic serpentinization processes within the peridotites are prevalent and contribute to the energy budget of the active Logatchev hydrothermal field. During ODP Leg 209 several, up to 200 m deep, holes will be drilled into the peridotites paralell to the ridge axis. This will provide an unique opportunity to examine alteration processes of mantle rocks on in-situ material in a defined geodynamic context. The primary objective of this research project is a comprehensive reconstruction of the mineral reactions and alteration conditions during fluid/rock interaction using mineralogical (XRD, SEM, TEM) geochemical (XRF, ICP-MS, Microprobe) and isotopic (dD, d180, 87Sr/86Sr) analyses. Understanding these alteration processes is not only of relevance to the genesis of hydrothermal massive sulfide deposits but is also important with regard to the global element transfer budget and the living conditions of the "deep biosphere".
DFG Programme
Infrastructure Priority Programmes
