Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Seismic and hydrothermal evidence for a cracking event on the East Pacific Rise crest at 9° 50′ N

Nature volume 396, pages 159–161 (1998)Cite this article

Abstract

Interaction between the hydrothermal system and the axial magma chamber at a mid-ocean ridge spreading centre takes place in a boundary layer of crust that separates circulating sea water from basaltic melt1. The nature of heat flow through this region is critical because it determines the pressure–temperature conditions of the water–rock interaction and regulates the total heat flux through the system2. Here we combine seismic, thermal and chemical time-series data from high-temperature vents on the East Pacific Rise axis at 9° 50.2′ N to link a microearthquake swarm with changes measured in vent fluids. Four days after the earthquake swarm opened fractures near the base of the circulation system, a sudden increase in fluid temperature in the overlying ‘Bio9’ black-smoker vent was observed. Temperatures peaked at the vent 11 days after the swarm and gradually declined back to just above pre-swarm levels (365 °C) over the next 70 days. These observations are consistent with the Bio9 hydrothermal system tapping a previously isolated region of crust, and an upflow fluid residence time of 4 days, compared to previous lower-resolution estimates of 3 years or less3.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Study area maps.
Figure 2: Time-series temperature data for fluids from Bio9 vent collected between 1994 and 1997, from Fornari et al. 9
Figure 3: Contents of vent fluids.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Lowell, R. P., Rona, P. A. & von Herzen, R. P. Seafloor hydrothermal systems. J. Geophys. Res. 100, 327–352 (1995).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Lister, C. R. B. in Hydrothermal Processes at Seafloor Spreading Centers (eds Rona, P. A. et al.) 141–168 (Plenum, New York, (1983).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  3. Kadko, D. & Moore, W. Radiochemical constraints on the crustal residence time of submarine hydrothermal fluids: Endeavour Ridge. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 52, 659–668 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Haymon, R. M. et al. Hydrothermal vent distribution along the East Pacific Rise crest (9° 09′-54′ N) and its relationship to magmatic and tectonic processes on fast-spreading mid-ocean ridges. Earth Planet Sci. Lett. 119, 85–101 (1993).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Rubin, K. H., Macdougall, J. D. & Perfit, M. R. 210Po-210Pb dating of recent volcanic eruptions on the sea floor. Nature 368, 841–844 (1994).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Sohn, R. A., Hildebrand, J. A. & Webb, S. C. Rift zone seismicity on the East Pacific Rise (9° 50′ N); evidence for ongoing volcanic activity. (abstr.) Eos 78, 647 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Shearer, P. M. Improving local earthquake locations using the L1 norm and waveform cross correlation: application ot the Whittier Narrows, California, aftershock sequence. J. Geophys. Res. 102, 8269–8283 (1997).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Kent, G. M., Harding, A. & Orcutt, J. A. Distribution of magma beneath the East Pacific Rise between the Clipperton Transform and the 9° 17′ N deval from forward modeling of common depth point data. J. Geophys. Res. 98, 13945–13969 (1993).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Fornari, D. J. et al. Time-series temperature measurements at high-termperature hydrothermal vents: East Pacific Rise 9° 49′ N to 9° 51′ N: monitoring dike intrusion and crustal cracking events. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. (in the press).

  10. von Damm, K. L. et al. Evolution of East Pacific Rise hydrothermal vent fluids following a volcanic eruption. Nature 375, 47–50 (1995).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Cherkaoui, A. S. M., Wilcock, W. S. D. & Baker, E. T. Thermal fluxes associated with the 1993 dike event on the CoAxial segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge: A model for the convective cooling of a dike. J. Geophys. Res. 102, 24887–24902 (1997).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Vera, E. E. et al. The structure of 0- to 0.2 m.y. old ocean crust 9° N on the East Pacific Rise from expanded spread profiles. J. Geophys. Res. 95, 15529–15556 (1990).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank L. Astiz and P. Shearer for helping to determine relative event locations for the seismic swarm; the Alvin shipboard and shore-based support group, and officers and crew of RVAtlantis-II and Atlantis for assistance in collecting the temperature data and fluid samples; and W.Wilcock, A. Rubin, S. Humphris and J. Cann for helpful comments on the manuscript. This research was supported by the US NSF.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 8602 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, 92093-0205, California, USA

    Robert A Sohn, John A. Hildebrand & Spahr C. Webb

  2. Geology & Geophysics Department, Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, 02543, Massachusetts, USA

    Daniel J. Fornari

  3. Department of Earth Sciences and Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, 03824-3589, USA

    Karen L. Von Damm

Authors
  1. Robert A Sohn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Daniel J. Fornari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Karen L. Von Damm
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. John A. Hildebrand
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Spahr C. Webb
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert A Sohn.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sohn, R., Fornari, D., Von Damm, K. et al. Seismic and hydrothermal evidence for a cracking event on the East Pacific Rise crest at 9° 50′ N. Nature 396, 159–161 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/24146

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/24146

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing