Hydrothermal plumes at the Rodriguez triple junction, Indian ridge

Abstract

Water column anomalies of light transmission, Mn, Fe, Al and CH 4 concentrations were searched in the central, southeastern and southwestern Indian Ridge segments centered on the Rodriguez Triple Junction (RTJ) (∼25°32′S, ∼70°02′E), for the purpose of locating hydrothermally active areas, in July to August 1993. We found an active zone in the central Indian Ridge segment (25°18–20′S) approximately 12 miles north of the RTJ, where significant hydrothermal plumes were observed at 2,200–2,400 m depth. Intensive tow-yo observations using a CTD rosette multi-sampling system equipped with a transmissometer revealed that the plumes show temporal as well as spatial variations. Discrete water samples within the plumes were enriched in Mn, Fe, and CH 4, with maximum concentrations of 9.8 n M, 40.2 n M and 3.3 n M, respectively. Judging from the spatial and chemical characteristics of the plumes, especially from transmission anomalies and C/H 4Mn ratios, we speculate that the hydrothermal venting site might be not in the rift valley but on the eastern off-axis zone, several miles distant from the rift valley.