Geological, physical, and chemical characteristics of seafloor hydrothermal vent fields

Abstract

Seafloor hydrothermal vent fields (SHVFs) are located in the mid-ocean ridge (MOR), backarc basin (BAB), island arc and hot-spot environments and hosted mainly by ultramafic, mafic, felsic rocks, and sediments. The hydrothermal vent fluids of SHVFs have low oxygen, abnormal pH and temperature, numerous toxic compounds, and inorganic energy sources, such as sulfuric compounds, methane, and hydrogen. The geological, physical, and chemical characteristics of SHVFs provide important clues to understanding the formation and evolution of seafloor hydrothermal systems, leading to the determination of metal sources and the reconstruction of the physicochemical conditions of metallogenesis. Over the past two decades, we studied the geological settings, volcanic rocks, and hydrothermal products of SHVFs and drawn new conclusions in these areas, including: 1) the hydrothermal plumes in the Okinawa Trough are affected by the Kuroshio current; 2) S and Pb in the hydrothermal sulfides from MOR are mainly derived from their host igneous rocks; 3) Re and Os of vent fluids are more likely to be incorporated into Fe- and Fe-Cu sulfide mineral facies, and Os is enriched under low-temperature (<200°C) hydrothermal conditions in global SHVFs; 4) compared with low-temperature hydrothermal sulfides, sulfates, and opal minerals, high-temperature hydrothermal sulfides maintain the helium (He) isotopic composition of the primary vent fluid; 5) relatively low temperature (<116°C), oxygenated, and acidic environment conditions are favorable for forming a native sulfur chimney, and a “glue pudding” growth model can be used to understand the origin of native sulfur balls in the Kueishantao hydrothermal field; and 6) boron isotope from hydrothermal plumes and fluids can be used to describe their diffusive processes. The monitoring and understanding of the physical structure, chemical composition, geological processes, and diverse organism of subseafloor hydrothermal systems will be a future hot spot and frontier of submarine hydrothermal geology.