Tectono-magmatic controls on hydrothermal activity at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge vent fields Logatchev and 5°S

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Lars Helmuth Rüpke
• Subject Area: Palaeontology ; Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry
• Term: from 2012 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 211158050

The proposed work aims at understanding the relationships between tectono-magmatic processes at slow spreading ridges and the origin and nature of hydrothermal venting. In particular, we will test if off-axis venting is a natural consequence of seafloor spreading in a tectonic phase, while on-axis venting occurs during magmatic dominated phases. The ultramafic hosted Logatchev field is located off-axis on a tectonically active ridge segment, while the basaltic hosted 5°S system is situated on the axis of a ridge segment with recent magmatic activity. These contrasting styles of hydrothermal venting make them ideal natural laboratories for our objectives. Building on the extensive background data and knowledge acquired during DFG‟s Priority Program 1144 “From Mantle to Ocean”, we are now poised to test our main hypothesis using state-of-the-art numerical models. As a complement to studies of large-scale tectonic controls on hydrothermal venting, we will also explore the fluid-dynamic controls on fluid pathways and chemistry. By this integrated approach, the proposed work will allow us to more closely link surface observations with remote physicochemical processes at depth.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants