A record of eruption and intrusion at a fast spreading ridge axis : axial summit trough of the East Pacific Rise at 9–10°N

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2009. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 10 (2009): Q10T07, doi:10.1029/2008GC002354.High-resolution side-scan sonar, near-bottom multibeam bathymetry, and deep-sea photo and bathymetry traverses are used to map the axial summit trough (AST) at the East Pacific Rise between 9 and 10°N. We define three ridge axis morphologic types: no AST, narrow AST, and wide AST, which characterize distinct ridge crest domains spanning tens of kilometers along strike. Near-bottom observations, modeling of deformation above intruding dikes, and comparisons to the geologic and geophysical structure of the ridge crest are used to develop a revised model of AST genesis and evolution. This model helps constrain the record of intrusive and extrusive magmatism and styles of lava deposition along the ridge crest at time scales from hundreds to tens of thousands of years. The grabens in the narrow-AST domain (9°43′–53′N) are consistent with deformation above the most recent (<10) diking events beneath the ridge crest. Frequent high–effusion rate extrusive volcanism in this domain (several eruptions every ∼100 years) overprints near-axis deformation and maintains a consistent AST width. The most recent eruption at the ridge crest occurred in this area and did not significantly modify the physical characteristics of the AST. The grabens in the wide-AST domain (9°23′–43′N) originated with similar dimensions to the narrow AST. Spreading, driven primarily by the intrusion of shallow dikes within a narrow axial zone, causes the initial graben bounding faults to migrate away from the axis. Infrequent extrusive volcanism (several eruptions every ∼1000 years) fills a portion of the subsidence that accumulates over time but does not significantly modify the width of the AST. Outside of these domains, lower–effusion rate constructional volcanism without efficient drain-back fills and erases the signature of the AST. The relative frequency of intrusive versus extrusive magmatic events controls the morphology of the ridge crest and appears to remain constant over millennial time scales within the domains we have identified; however, over longer time scales (∼10–25 ka), domain-specific intrusive-to-extrusive ratios do not appear to be fixed in space, resulting in a fairly consistent volcanic accretion over the length scale of the second-order ridge segment between 9°N and 10°N.This work was supported by NSF grants OCE-0525863 to D. Fornari and S. A. Soule; OCE-0732366 to S. A. Soule; and OCE-9819261 to H. Schouten, M. Tivey, and D. Fornari and by CNRS to J. Escartın

Abyssal Hill Segmentation: Quantitative Analysis of the East Pacific Rise Flanks 7°S-9°S

The recent RN Maurice Ewing EW9105 Hydrosweep survey of the East Pacific Rise (EPR) and adjacent flanks between 7°S and 9°S provides an excellent opportunity to explore the causal relationship between the ridge and the abyssal hills which form on its flanks. These data cover 100% of the flanking abyssal hills to 115 km on either side of the axis. We apply the methodology of Goff and Jordan (1988) for estimating statistical characteristics of abyssal hill morphology (rms height, characteristic lengths and widths, plan view aspect ratio, azimuthal orientation, and fractal dimension). Principal observations include the following: (I) the rms height of abyssal hill morphology is negatively correlated with the width of the 5- to 20-km-wide crestal high, consistent with the observations of Goff (1991) for northern EPR abyssal hill morphology; (2) the characteristic abyssal hill width displays no systematic variation with position relative to ridge segmentation within the EW9105 survey area, in contrast with observations of Goff (1991) for northern EPR abyssal hill morphology in which characteristic widths tend to be smallest al segment ends and largest toward the middle of segments; (3) abyssal hill rms heights and characteristic widths are very large just north of a counterclockwise rotating "nannoplate", suggesting that the overlap region is being pushed northward in response to microplate-style tectonics; and (4) within the 7°12'S-8°38'S segment, abyssal hill lineaments are generally parallel to the ridge axis, while south of this area, abyssal hill lineaments rotate with a larger "radius of curvature" than does the EPR axis approaching the EPR-Wilkes ridge-transform intersection

Central anomaly magnetization high: constraints on the volcanic construction and architecture of seismic layer 2A at a fast-spreading mid-ocean ridge, the EPR at 9º30'–50'N

The central anomaly magnetization high (CAMH) is a zone of high crustal magnetization centered on the axis of the East Pacific Rise (EPR) and many other segments of the global mid-ocean ridge (MOR). The CAMH is thought to reflect the presence of recently emplaced and highly magnetic lavas. Forward models show that the complicated character of the near-bottom CAMH can be successfully reproduced by the convolution of a lava deposition distribution with a lava magnetization function that describes the variation in lava magnetization intensity with age. This lava magnetization function is the product of geomagnetic paleofield intensity, which has increased by a factor of 2 over the last 40 kyr, and low-temperature alteration, which decreases the remanence of lava with exposure to seawater. The success of the forward modeling justifies the inverse approach: deconvolution of the magnetic data for lava distribution and integration of that distribution for magnetic layer thickness. This approach is tested on two near-bottom magnetic profiles AL2767 and AL2771, collected using Alvin across the EPR axis at 9º31'N and 9º50'N. Our analysis of these data produces an estimate of the relative thickness of the magnetic lava layer, which is remarkably consistent with existing multichannel estimates of layer 2A thickness from lines CDP31 and CDP27. The similarity between magnetic layer and seismic layer 2A at the 9º–10ºN segment of the EPR crest provides independent support to the notion that seismic layer 2A in young oceanic crust represents the highly magnetic lava layer, and that the velocity gradient at the base of layer 2A is related to the increasing number of higher velocity dikes with depth in the lava–dike transition zone. The near-bottom magnetic anomaly character of the CAMH is a powerful indicator of the emplacement history of upper crust at MORs which allows prediction of the relative thickness and architecture of the extrusive lavas independent of other constraint

Continuous near-bottom gravity measurements made with a BGM-3 gravimeter in DSV Alvin on the East Pacific Rise crest near 9°31 'N and 9°50'N

A Bell BGM-3 gravimeter has been used to collect continuous, underway, near-bottom (3- to 10-m altitude) gravity measurements from the deep-diving submersible DSV Alvin during surveys on the East Pacific Rise (EPR) crest near 9° 31'N and 9° 50'N. Closely spaced (20- to 30-m) gravity measurements were made along transects up to 8 km-long in both regions. Repeatability of measurements made at the same location on different dives is ~ 0.3 mGal. Along-track spatial resolution of anomalies is ~130-160 m, with the limiting factors being precision and sampling rate of the pressure gauge depth data used to calculate vertical accelerations of the submersible. The average upper crustal density of the ridge crest determined from the relationship between depth and free-water gravity anomalies varies greatly between 9 °31 'N and 9° 50'N. Average upper crustal densities of2410 kg/m3 for the 9° 50'N area and 2690 kg/m3 for the 9° 31'N area were calculated. The different densities are not due to differing geometry of the Layer 2A-2B boundary or a regional cross-axis gravity gradient. Differences in porosity of the shallow crustal rocks, or a difference in the proportion of low-density extrusives to higher-density dikes and sills within Layer 2A in these two areas, are the likely causes of the different upper crustal densities. Bouguer gravity anomalies near the EPR axis are primarily small amplitude (0.5-2 mGal), are a few hundred meters across, and appear to be lineated parallel to the axis. Larger-amplitude Bouguer anomalies of up to 4 mGal were found at a few locations across the crestal plateau and are associated with pillow ridges composed of lavas which are clearly younger than the surrounding seafloor. These ridges have distinct chemical compositions compared to lavas from the axial summit collapse trough (ASCT) at the same latitude. Probable sources of the 0.5- to 2-mGal anomalies observed on the summit plateau include areas of collapsed and fissured terrain and dike swarms feeding melt through Layer 2A to the surface. A grid survey of the ridge axis near 9° 50'N shows Bouguer anomalies lineated along the axis, suggesting that dike swarms do contribute to the observed Bouguer anomalies. The along-axis continuity of the gravity anomalies is disrupted at a 75-m offset of the ASCT, suggesting that shallow feeders of lava to the surface may be segmented on a finer scale than the deeper crustal magmatic system. This initial study confirms the ability to conduct high-resolution, near-bottom, continuous gravity measurements from Alvin. It also provides important information on how the shallow crustal structure of a fast spreading mid-ocean ridge develops and how it varies with the surface morphology

Formation of submarine lava channel textures : insights from laboratory simulations

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2006. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 111 (2006): B03104, doi:10.1029/2005JB003796.Laboratory simulations using polyethylene glycol (PEG) extruded at a constant rate and temperature into a tank with a uniform basal slope and filled with a cold sucrose solution generate channels that are defined by stationary levees and mobile flow interiors. These laboratory channels consistently display the following surface textures in the channel: smooth, folded, lineated, and chaotic. In the simulations, we can observe specific local conditions including flow rate, position within the channel, and time that combine to develop each texture. The textures in PEG flows form due to relative differences in shear forces between the PEG crust and the underlying liquid wax. Minimal shear forces form smooth crust, whereas folded crust forms when the shear is sufficiently high to cause ductile deformation. Brittle deformation of solid PEG creates a chaotic texture, and lineated crust results from shear forces along the channel-levee margin. We observe similar textures in submarine lava channels with sources at or near the Axial Summit Trough of the East Pacific Rise between 9° and 10°N. We mapped the surface textures of nine submarine lava channels using high-resolution digital images collected during camera tows. These textural maps, along with observations of the formation of similar features in analog flows, reveal important information about the mechanisms occurring across the channel during emplacement, including relative flow velocity and shear stress.The cruise was funded by a grant to WHOI from the National Science Foundation (NSF) OCE-9819261, with additional funding provided by WHOI thorough the Vetlesen Foundation. The PEG experiments were funded by NSF OCE-0425073 in a grant to Tracy Gregg

Diffuse venting at the ASHES hydrothermal field : heat flux and tidally modulated flow variability derived from in situ time-series measurements

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2016. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 17 (2016): 1435–1453, doi:10.1002/2015GC006144.Time-series measurements of diffuse exit-fluid temperature and velocity collected with a new, deep-sea camera, and temperature measurement system, the Diffuse Effluent Measurement System (DEMS), were examined from a fracture network within the ASHES hydrothermal field located in the caldera of Axial Seamount, Juan de Fuca Ridge. The DEMS was installed using the HOV Alvin above a fracture near the Phoenix vent. The system collected 20 s of 20 Hz video imagery and 24 s of 1 Hz temperature measurements each hour between 22 July and 2 August 2014. Fluid velocities were calculated using the Diffuse Fluid Velocimetry (DFV) technique. Over the ∼12 day deployment, median upwelling rates and mean fluid temperature anomalies ranged from 0.5 to 6 cm/s and 0°C to ∼6.5°C above ambient, yielding a heat flux of 0.29 ± 0.22 MW m−2 and heat output of 3.1± 2.5 kW. Using a photo mosaic to measure fracture dimensions, the total diffuse heat output from cracks across ASHES field is estimated to be 2.05 ± 1.95 MW. Variability in temperatures and velocities are strongest at semidiurnal periods and show significant coherence with tidal height variations. These data indicate that periodic variability near Phoenix vent is modulated both by tidally controlled bottom currents and seafloor pressure, with seafloor pressures being the dominant influence. These results emphasize the importance of local permeability on diffuse hydrothermal venting at mid-ocean ridges and the need to better quantify heat flux associated with young oceanic crust.NSF Grant Numbers: OCE-1131772, OCE-1131455, OCE-1337473; University of Washington, and the NSF award Grant Number: OCE-09579382016-10-2

High-resolution water column survey to identify active sublacustrine hydrothermal discharge zones within Lake Rotomahana, North Island, New Zealand

This paper is not subject to U.S. copyright. The definitive version was published in Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 314 (2016): 142-155, doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2015.07.037.Autonomous underwater vehicles were used to conduct a high-resolution water column survey of Lake Rotomahana using temperature, pH, turbidity, and oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) to identify active hydrothermal discharge zones within the lake. Five areas with active sublacustrine venting were identified: (1) the area of the historic Pink Terraces; (2) adjacent to the western shoreline subaerial “Steaming Cliffs,” boiling springs and geyser; (3) along the northern shoreline to the east of the Pink Terrace site; (4) the newly discovered Patiti hydrothermal system along the south margin of the 1886 Tarawera eruption rift zone; and (5) a location in the east basin (northeast of Patiti Island). The Pink Terrace hydrothermal system was active prior to the 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera, but venting along the western shoreline, in the east basin, and the Patiti hydrothermal system appear to have been initiated in the aftermath of the eruption, similar to Waimangu Valley to the southwest. Different combinations of turbidity, pH anomalies (both positive and negative), and ORP responses suggest vent fluid compositions vary over short distances within the lake. The seasonal period of stratification limits vertical transport of heat to the surface layer and the hypolimnion temperature of Lake Rotomahana consequently increases with an average warming rate of ~ 0.010 °C/day due to both convective hydrothermal discharge and conductive geothermal heating. A sudden temperature increase occurred during our 2011 survey and was likely the response to an earthquake swarm just 11 days prior.Funding was provided by GNS Strategic Development Fund

Introduction to the special issue : From RIDGE to Ridge 2000

Author Posting. © The Oceanography Society, 2012. This article is posted here by permission of The Oceanography Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Oceanography 25, no. 1 (2012): 12–17, doi:10.5670/oceanog.2012.01.Articles in this special issue of Oceanography represent a compendium of research that spans the disciplinary and thematic breadth of the National Science Foundation's Ridge 2000 Program, as well as its geographic focal points. The mid-ocean ridge (MOR) crest is where much of Earth's volcanism is focused and where most submarine volcanic activity occurs. If we could look down from space at our planet with the ocean drained, the MOR's topography and shape, along with its intervening fracture zones, would resemble the seams on a baseball, with the ocean basins dominating our planetary panorama. The volcanic seafloor is hidden beneath the green-blue waters of the world's ocean, yet therein lie fundamental clues to how our planet works and has evolved over billions of years, something that was not clearly understood 65 years ago—witness the following quote from H.H. Hess (1962) in his essay on "geopoetry" and commentary on J.H.F. Umbgrove's (1947) comprehensive summary of Earth and ocean history: The birth of the oceans is a matter of conjecture, the subsequent history is obscure, and the present structure is just beginning to be understood. Fascinating speculation on these subjects has been plentiful, but not much of it predating the last decade [the 1950s] holds water.This special issue was funded by a supplement to the Ridge 2000 Office grant at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (NSF-OCE-0838923)

Morphology of a 'Superfast' Mid-Ocean Ridge Crest and Flanks: The East Pacific Rise, 7°- 9° S

Detailed bathymetric data from a Hydrosweep multibeam sonar survey of a 250 km-long portion of the 'superfast'- spreading southern East Pacific Rise crest and flanks show that the along-axis variation in morphology and axial depth differs significantly from that observed at the fast-spreading northern East Pacific Rise. While the deep mantle upwelling pattern is similar under the northern and southern East Pacific Rise, our observations require that the connectivity of the shallow, subcrestal plumbing system be more efficient beneath the 'super-fast' spreading southern East Pacific Rise than beneath the slower spreading northern East Pacific Rise

Construction of the Galapagos platform by large submarine volcanic terraces

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2008. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 9 (2008): Q03015, doi:10.1029/2007GC001795.New multibeam bathymetric and side-scan sonar data from the southwestern edge of the Galápagos platform reveal the presence of ∼60 large, stepped submarine terraces between depths of 800 m and 3500 m. These terraces are unique features, as none are known from any other archipelago that share this geomorphic form or size. The terraces slope seaward at 3000 m) lava flow fields west of Fernandina and Isabela Islands. The terraces are formed of thick sequences of lava flows that coalesce to form the foundation of the Galápagos platform, on which the subaerial central volcanoes are built. The compositions of basalts dredged from the submarine terraces indicate that most lavas are chemically similar to subaerial lavas erupted from Sierra Negra volcano on southern Isabela Island. There are no regular major element, trace element, or isotopic variations in the submarine lavas as a function of depth, relative stratigraphic position, or geographic location along the southwest margin of the platform. We hypothesize that magma supply at the western edge of the Galápagos hot spot, which is influenced by both plume and mid-ocean ridge magmatic processes, leads to episodic eruption of large lava flows. These large lava flows coalesce to form the archipelagic apron upon which the island volcanoes are built.This work was supported by the National Science Foundation grants OCE0002818 and EAR0207605 (D.G.), OCE0002461 (D.J.F. and M.K.), OCE05-25864 (M.K.), and EAR0207425 (K.H.)