Project Details
Projekt
Temporal evolution of hydrothermal systems at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (14°45 - 15°05N)
Applicant
Dr. Jan Scholten
Subject Area
Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry
Term
from 2003 to 2008
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5415904
Hydrothermal activity at mid-oceanic ridges is an important factor for the heat and mass transfer between the mantle and the ocean. Little information is available on the life-span of hydrothermal systems, their temporal variability or changes of the chemistry of hydrothermal solutions with time. Based on age determinations of hydrothermal deposits by means of natural radionuclides, the duration and periodicity of hydrothermal activity shall be investigated in the Logatchev field and, for the first time, in hydrothermal fields at 15°N at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which are due to serpentinization of ultramafic rocks. Based on the geochemistry and the ages of the hydrothermal deposits information on the variability of the hydrothermal fluids during the geological past will be obtained. The importance of the residence time of hydrothermal fluids in the crust for their chemical composition will be investigated for the different fluids venting at the Logatchev field. These studies are based on sampling of fluids and hydrothermal precipitates which will be conducted during the FS Meteor cruise M60/3 along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between 14°45 N and 15°05 N.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
Participating Persons
Professor Dr. Anton Eisenhauer; Professor Dr. Peter Stoffers
