Marine Transient Electromagnetic Exploration of Seafloor Massive Sulfide Deposits on Southwest Indian Ridge

Abstract

Summary In this study, we report a test result of deep Seafloor Massive Sulfide (SMS) deposits exploration at the Longqi hydrothermal field on the ultraslow-spreading Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) by using transient electromagnetic method (TEM). The TEM dataset was acquired during the 30th cruise of the China Ocean Mineral Resources R & D Association (COMRA). Conductivity profile has been obtained through 2D inversion of TEM data, and high conductivity anomalies under the seafloor covered by the profile was consistent with the hydrothermal venting sites. Combined with the geochemical and hydrothermal anomalies, it is suggested that the conductive anomalies are attributed to SMS deposits and that the TEM is helpful for exploration and characterization of SMS deposits at hydrothermal fields.