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Hodgkinson MR, Webber AP, Roberts S, et al. Talc-dominated seafloor deposits reveal a new class of hydrothermal system. Nat Commun. 2015;6:10150doi: 10.1038/ncomms10150.
Hodgkinson, M. R., Webber, A. P., Roberts, S., Mills, R. A., Connelly, D. P., & Murton, B. J. (2015). Talc-dominated seafloor deposits reveal a new class of hydrothermal system. Nature communications, 610150. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10150
Hodgkinson, Matthew R S, et al. "Talc-dominated seafloor deposits reveal a new class of hydrothermal system." Nature communications vol. 6 (2015): 10150. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10150
Hodgkinson MR, Webber AP, Roberts S, Mills RA, Connelly DP, Murton BJ. Talc-dominated seafloor deposits reveal a new class of hydrothermal system. Nat Commun. 2015 Dec 22;6:10150. doi: 10.1038/ncomms10150. PMID: 26694142; PMCID: PMC4703833.
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Nat Commun. 2015 Dec 22;6:10150. doi: 10.1038/ncomms10150.

Talc-dominated seafloor deposits reveal a new class of hydrothermal system.

Nature communications

Matthew R S Hodgkinson, Alexander P Webber, Stephen Roberts, Rachel A Mills, Douglas P Connelly, Bramley J Murton

Affiliations

  1. National Oceanography Centre, Waterfront Campus, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK.
  2. Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK.

PMID: 26694142 PMCID: PMC4703833 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10150

Abstract

The Von Damm Vent Field (VDVF) is located on the flanks of the Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre, 13 km west of the axial rift, within a gabbro and peridotite basement. Unlike any other active vent field, hydrothermal precipitates at the VDVF comprise 85-90% by volume of the magnesium silicate mineral, talc. Hydrothermal fluids vent from a 3-m high, 1-m diameter chimney and other orifices at up to 215 °C with low metal concentrations, intermediate pH (5.8) and high concentrations (667 mmol kg(-1)) of chloride relative to seawater. Here we show that the VDVF vent fluid is generated by interaction of seawater with a mafic and ultramafic basement which precipitates talc on mixing with seawater. The heat flux at the VDVF is measured at 487±101 MW, comparable to the most powerful magma-driven hydrothermal systems known, and may represent a significant mode of off-axis oceanic crustal cooling not previously recognized or accounted for in global models.

References

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  2. Nat Commun. 2012;3:620 - PubMed
  3. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Jun 23;112(25):7668-72 - PubMed

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